Fighting For All That's Good
by vanhoose
Summary: AU: Four years ago, Maleficent has led a rebellion against the throne and killed all of the royal family except Prince Finnegan. Will Prince Finnegan fight to regain the throne that his rightfully his or will he let Maleficent use her unnatural tactics for possible world domination?
1. Sole Survivor

Chapter 1: Sole Surivor

_Four Years Ago_

The prince ran down the hall with lightning speed. He knew his life was in danger. If he didn't make it to the stables in time, he knew the rebel forces that had killed his aunt and grandfather were going to kill him as well. He turned left and ran down the small spiral staircase.

Equipped with only the sword that his aunt had given him only minutes before, Prince Finnegan knew that he wouldn't be able to fight off many soldiers. Fighting would have to be avoided at all costs. He was cursing himself for not pay attention during his sword-fighting lessons his grandfather had ordered him to attend. All of those years he could have been preparing for this. It was almost as if his grandfather had known there was a rebel force brewing in the kingdom.

Once he had reached the bottom of the steps, he saw the stables. _Freedom_, Finnegan thought to himself. He ran at full speed toward his horse. So far, he hadn't seen any rebel soldiers, which he thought was quite odd.

He unlocked the door to his horse's stall and slowly opened it. The creak of the door gave Finnegan chills up his spine. _I sure hope none of those rebels heard that_. He quickly, but quietly, saddled up his horse and hopped on.

Getting to the stables was the easy part, getting off the castle grounds alive—well that was something else.

As soon as his horse had left the stables, the rebel soldiers spotted Finnegan and began charging. Finnegan didn't know what to do, but his instincts took over, which surprised him. He moved his sword amongst the sea of soldiers flawlessly, striking down soldiers left and right.

The gate was finally in sight, and luckily for Finnegan it was wide open. _Stupid rebels. You could have at least closed the gate_. Finnegan kicked the horse with both feet and it charged forward. He continued to knock over soldiers with his sword.

_Ten feet….five feet…two feet… _

Finnegan's horse glided through the gate and continued down the cobblestone street that led into the nearby village. The rebel soldiers didn't chase him, which both surprised Finnegan and gave him a sense of relief.

As he continued through the village at full speed, Finnegan's mind drifted from escaping to what had happened back inside the castle. He had been asleep when his aunt, the queen, came charging into his room.

_"Finn! Sweetheart! Wake up!" The queen said in a loud whisper. "You must get out of here now!"_

_"Wanda? What's going on?" Finnegan sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes._

_"Listen to me, Finn. There are rebel forces inside the castle and they intend on killing the royal family. Your grandfather is already dead and I'm sure you and I are next on their list. I need you to get out of here and run as far away as you can."_

_"Wait, what? Grandfather is dead?" Finnegan got out of his bed and stood right in from of his aunt. "You have to come with me!"_

_"No, I can't! You're the next in line for the throne, Finn. They'll want to get rid of any threats to their new order. I want you to run as far away and when the time comes, you'll come back and restore our family to the throne." She placed a hand on his cheek. "I believe in you Finnegan." _

_"But Wanda, where do I go?" _

_"Just get as far away as possible. Here, take this." She handed him a sword from behind her back. "You'll need this."_

_Finnegan took the sword and stared by at his aunt. "This was my father's sword."_

_"Yes. He would have wanted you to have it." She took a step back. "Take a horse in the stable, and Finn?"_

_"Yes?" Finnegan's voice was shaky, tears streaming down his face._

_"You'll make us all proud. I just know it." And with that she left his room._

_Finnegan, realizing this would be the last time in his room for a long time, quickly changed into a simple outfit: a linen shirt with black hose underneath and a black cape. He took his necklace that held his mother's wedding ring and the royal family crest and placed it around his neck. He grabbed the sword and ran toward the spiral staircase that led to the stables._

After riding straight through the night, Finnegan finally stopped when he saw the sun rising in the distant east. He was currently on a dirt road in between two small villages. He got off the horse and walked it into the woods, remembering that his father had once told him of a stream not too far off the path.

After getting some water himself and the horse, Finnegan sat down on the side of the stream to rest. He placed his head in his hands and realized he had no plan, no shelter and no food. There was no way for him to regain the throne this way. The only thing he had on his side was the sword and his horse, but he knew that that alone wouldn't be enough. He would need allies, but he didn't know where to go or who to ask. He could only assume that all of his family and all those loyal to them were dead. One thing was certain to him: Finnegan was the only survivor.


	2. She's a Witch!

_Chapter 2: She's a Witch_

_Present Day_

The sun was already high in the sky despite it being early in the morning, but Finnegan was up and about. He had already eaten the last of his food supply and was currently preparing for a trip to the nearby village. Finnegan realized it would take him almost half of the day to get to the village, but he knew it was worth it. He would starve otherwise. Four years ago, Finnegan would not have risked going out into the open without any kind of disguise, but since the rebel leader—Maleficent—pronounced him dead soon after his escape, no one seemed to mind him.

As he did every time he visited the village, Finnegan gave a small token to the stable boy so that he could keep his horse during his visit. Finnegan pulled up the hood of his cape and walked down the cobblestone street toward Dillard's family's shop.

As usual, Dillard saw Finnegan coming and ran and gave him a hug.

"Hey! How's it going man? I haven't see you in a month!"

"All's good Dill. I kind of…uh…ran out of food." Finnegan looked down to avoid his best friend's face. He hated asking Dillard for things because he felt like he was taking advantage of the nice guy.

"Well you came to the right place! Mother just made some bread." Dillard leaned in and whispered "I think she'll be okay if a loaf or two just _disappears_."

"I seriously can't thank you enough Dillard. I'll have to repay you sometime."

"Don't thank me! I'm just helping a friend. No charge!" Dillard walked into the shop and Finnegan stood at the entrance, looking at the busy villagers.

Not long after Dillard had gone inside, there was an influx of villagers headed toward the town center. Finnegan looked around to see if there was any sign of Maleficent or her guards but found none.

Dillard came back out with a bag and handed it to Finnegan. "I got you a loaf and a couple of oranges too. You're lucky mother's in a good mood today."

Finnegan took the bag and slung it around his shoulder. "What's going on in the town center?"

"They're having a trial for a witch today. That's why mother's in a good mood. It's great for business when a witch is burned."

"How is that good for business?"

"People usually come to buy extra food so that they can celebrate afterwards."

"Oh." Finnegan looked toward the town center. He had never seen a witch trial or burning before and was intrigued by the idea.

"You want to go, don't you?" Dillard asked his friend.

"Yeah. I do." Finnegan turned around to face his friend. "Want to come with me? Apparently it's loads of fun!"

Dillard laughed. "Sure thing man! Let me just tell mother."

* * *

Before they knew it, they were in the crowd surrounding a make-shift wooden platform. On the platform was an elderly man, two of Maleficent's guards and a beautiful young woman. She had dark skin and dark brown hair to match. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, but raged with fury and anger. In the center of the platform as a pile of wood at the base of a large wooden pole. Finnegan could only assume that was where the burning would occur after the trial.

"I believe the evidence is leaning in favor of Miss Amanda Lockhart...being a witch!" The elderly man yelled out. "The last thing we need is a witch in this town! The proper way to deal with a witch is to BURN HER!"

Amanda's eyes searched the crowd for a friendly face. Once her eyes reached Finnegan's she kept her gaze locked on him. Finnegan suddenly felt drawn to her. With her eyes she was pleading for help and he felt the urge to save her.

The crowd cheered. Many shouted "BURN HER!" and "DIE WITCH!" but Finnegan pushed forward. He had to get as close to the stage as possible, only breaking eye contact with Amanda when villagers would not move out of his way.

"Guards, tie her up!" The elderly man turned to the crowd. "Someone summon the torch bearers."

"Finnegan!" Dillard screamed behind him. "What are you doing?" Dillard grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.

"I'm going to save her. I have to."

"What?" Before Dillard could get any response from his friend, Finnegan turned and worked his way up onto the platform.

Before any of the people on the platform had realized Finnegan was there, Finnegan had drawn his sword and knocked the elderly man off of the platform. He turned to face the two guards. They had already tied up Amanda and both had their swords facing him.

"Let her go. She's no witch." Finnegan said.

"Maleficent's orders. Now stand down or die along with _her_." The first guard ordered.

"I'd rather die along with her than comply with anything that _Maleficent_ ordered." Finn charged the first guard, using a disarming move he had taught himself a few years back. After his sword went flying, Finnegan stabbed his sword into the guard's right leg, sending him into the crowd screaming in pain. Finnegan turned to the second guard, looked him over and stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny, traitor?" The guard asked with a shaky voice.

"This." Finnegan used his left hand and pushed the second guard only slightly. The second guard realized too late that he was standing on the edge of the platform and landed on the ground with a large _THUD!_

Finnegan turned to Amanda, used his sword to untie her and extended a hand, but she only stared at him.

"What are you doing? We've got to go if you want to live!" Finnegan asked her.

"Who…who are you?" She asked so quietly, Finnegan could barely hear her.

"Nobody of consequence. Do you really want to die today?" Finnegan pointed with his sword to the guards lying on the ground the platform. "They won't be down there forever." Amanda continued to stare at him blankly. "I seriously think you want to die."

Amanda snapped out of her daze. "I…uh…no. I don't want to die."

"That's what I thought! Now come on. We've got some running to do!" Finnegan grabbed her hand and took off running toward the stable.

Once at the stable, the stable boy gave him back his horse and he hoisted Amanda up onto the back of the horse.

"Finn! Hey man...wait up!" Dillard yelled while running, clearly out of breath.

"Dillard? What are you doing here?" Finnegan asked.

"I'm coming with you!"

"What? I don't know about this."

"Oh come on! I want some adventure!"

Finnegan looked between Amanda and Dillard and back again. So many things could go wrong here. He had been alone for four years, now suddenly he's got a beautiful girl and a best friend both needing him. He sighed and turned back to Dillard.

"Fine. Hop on."

Both Dillard and Finnegan got onto the horse and together the three rode off toward Finnegan's hideout.

* * *

"So this is where you've been hiding out for the past few years?" Dillard asked with awe. Finnegan had never shown anyone where he had been living and felt very uncomfortable by the fact that there were now _two_ other people here.

Dillard made himself at home very fast, but Amanda looked uncomfortable. For dinner they split the food Dillard's mother had given him earlier and Finnegan made a small fire. Dillard fell asleep fairly early, leaving Amanda and Finnegan in an awkward silence.

After what seemed like hours of silence, Finnegan decided to break the silence.

"Why did Maleficent think you were a witch?"

Amanda stared into the fire. "Because…I can do things she can't and it scares her."

"What kind of things?" Finn asked almost immediately. He felt drawn to her. He felt compelled to know every little detail of this girl's life. But with every second passing, Finnegan felt the urge to lean over and kiss her.

"I don't really want to talk about it…uh…I don't know your name."

Finnegan extended a hand. "Name's Finnegan, but you can call me Finn."

"Amanda." Amanda shook his hand. "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Save me from being burned at the sake."

"Honestly, I don't know. I just…felt…compelled to do it." Finn looked at Amanda and for the first time at his hideout she looked him directly in the eyes.

"Well…thanks."

"You know, since I did save your life." Finn said slowly.

"Yes, I know. I was there." A smirk ran across Amanda's face.

"So shouldn't I get like a kiss or something for that?" Finn was mentally slapping himself in the face. _That's not going to work, stupid! She won't fall for that!_

Amanda giggled. "I think only knights in shining armor get that."

"Well!" Finn crossed his arms. "Who made you the expert on heroes?"

"I'm not the expert on heroes."

"Then why can't a guy with a black cape get a kiss? I'm about as close to a knight in shining armor as you can get around here!"

Both of them laughed. "You've got a point there."

Amanda got up and sat next to Finn so close that he could feel her breath on his face. She leaned in and when she was less than an inch from his face, she stopped.

"You know what? I change my mind." She got up and stood over Finn. "Maybe when the moment's right. Now…now's not that moment. Goodnight Finn." She took a few steps toward the hideout and turned around. "Thanks again, for you know, saving my life. I do owe you one."

And with that Amanda disappeared into the hideout, leaving Finn all alone at the campsite. One thing was certainly clear to Finn after that: he needed to find that perfect moment for this kiss.

* * *

**So what do y'all think? Read & review! I'd love to hear what y'all are thinking! Thanks!**

**Oh and to PrincessWilla101: Of course all of the Kingdom Keepers are going to come in! I can't forget about them! If not the next chapter, it will be the 4th one for sure! **


	3. Birthday Gifts & Secret Weapons

Chapter 3: Birthday Gifts & Secret Weapons

_Three Days Before Amanda's Trial_

_"Oh come on Willa! Take it!" Finn's best friend held out a necklace with the royal family crest on it to her. "It's the perfect birthday present!"_

_"But I'm not apart of the royal family!" She crossed her arms. "It'd be false advertising."_

_"Oh who cares about those big fancy words! After Wanda you're the closest thing I have to family."_

_"That's not true and you know it!"_

_"I'm being serious! You're like the little sister I never had! I don't care if you're related to me or not. I will treat you like a sister and you will like it!"_

_"Is that an _order_?" Isabel uncrossed her arms and walked toward Finn. "Did you just_ order_ me to do something Finn?"_

_"I'm the prince after all." Finn's smile stretched across his face. "And you're not."_

_Isabel laughed. "Of all the things to order me to do, you order me to let you treat me like a sister? That's like the worst order in the world! I _know_ you can do better than that!"_

_"Fine! I order you to take this necklace as a birthday gift from me!" He extended her hand out, dangling the necklace from his fingers._

_"Fine!" Isabel grabbed the necklace from his hand and placed it around her neck. "Happy now _your highness_?"_

_"Are you mocking me _Lady Isabel_?" Finn squinted his eyes to glare at her._

_"I don't know what you're talking about." Isabel smiled innocently and walked past Finn. "Now if you don't hurry we have a lesson to get to."_

_"But it's geography! Who needs to know about that?" Finn whined from behind her. Isabel turned around._

_"You never know Finn. You might get stuck in the woods all by yourself. And if you don't pay attention in this lesson today, you might be lost forever."_

_"Me? Lost?" Finn laughed. "That would never happen." Isabel rolled her eyes and continued down the hallway toward the classroom. "Why would I even be in the woods by myself anyway?"_

* * *

Isabel awoke with a start. That was the day before the rebel raids—her last memory with her only friend, Prince Finnegan. Ever since her father had bought himself a royal title, Isabel had become a student under the same tutor as the prince. Not long after beginning lessons there, the two had become friends—but their relationship never went past that point, despite her parents' hopes. To Isabel, Finn was a brother, not a potential husband. She didn't want to be a queen, and Finn respected that.

All of the memories flooded back into Isabel's head, causing her to cry. She missed her best friend, her family, and her old life. For four years she had been locked in a cell with little food and water. Human contact extended as far as the two guards and Maleficent herself.

The cell door opened and in stepped the rebel leader herself. The room instantly got colder.

"Well, well Isabel. Seems we've kept the tears to a minimum today."

"Why am I still alive? Why put me through four years of torture?"

She laughed. "Why dear, you're going to stay in her until the time is right."

"And when is that?" Isabel said sarcastically.

"When Prince Finnegan is finally dead."

Isabel stood up so fast she got a tad bit dizzy, but she quickly dismissed the feeling. "You said he was dead four years ago! That he was killed in the rebel raid along with the king and queen!"

"I might have stretched the truth. Any threat to my power will _not_ be tolerated."

Isabel moved closer to Maleficent until the she was face to face with the rebel leader. "If he's still alive, that means there's still hope for the kingdom! You can still be defeated!"

"I will NEVER be defeated! I'd bet my life on that!"

"If Prince Finnegan is alive…" Isabel's smile had never been this big. "I guess that means you're a dead woman."

Maleficent slapped Isabel so hard that she hit the floor.

"You must learn to control that tongue of yours Isabel. Traitors are not dealt with kindly in my kingdom." Maleficent turned and stormed out of the cell.

Isabel sat up and leaned against the wall of the cell so that she could watch the cell door. _If Finn has really been alive all this time, there's hope after all!_ For the first time in four years she finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. This could be her chance at getting her life back.

* * *

"Psssh! Wake up!"

Isabel sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Psssh! Over here!"

Isabel looked over at the ajar cell door. In the doorway she saw a young woman in a long green cape that covered her face. Isabel figured she couldn't be more than seventeen or eighteen years old. A small part of her raven black hair was showing, contrasting her pale skin.

"If you want to get out of here, I'd get moving if I were you! We have a very small window of time here!"

Isabel sprang up and followed the woman out of the cell. Slowly and quietly the two made their way through the secret passageways of the castle in order to get out, as the young woman promised.

Once safely one hundred yards into the woods beyond the castle, the young woman stopped. She reached into her cape and pulled a small leather bag, a canteen and a dagger out and handed them to Isabel.

"Take these. Inside the bag is enough money to buy yourself food for about a week."

"Why are you doing this?"

_"_I want Maleficent out of here as much as the next person, but we need Prince Finnegan to do it. You're the closest thing he has to family left."

"Oh, you must be mistaken. I'm not _really_ royal."

"Then why are you wearing the royal family crest around your neck?" The young woman pointed to the necklace on Isabel's neck.

"A friend gave it to me for my birthday…"

"So if you're not of royal blood, did you even _know_ Prince Finnegan?"

"Of course! We had the same tutor! My parents insisted on the best education for me."

"Well that's all that matters."

"What? That I got a good education?"

"No." She shook her head to signal that Isabel wasn't catching on to what she was suggesting. "That you know Prince Finnegan."

"Why is that important?"

"You need to find him and convince him to come back and fight for the throne."

"ME? Why would he listen to me?" Isabel crossed her arms in protest. "Besides, where is he? How am I supposed to find him?"

"That's your problem, not mine." The young woman said defensively. "I got you out here and gave you enough supplies to do so. The sooner the better, Isabel. Maleficent's reign of terror can't last much longer."

The young woman turned back toward the castle.

"I didn't catch your name!" Isabel yelled after her rescuer.

"That's because I didn't give it!" The young woman stopped, but did not turn around to face Isabel. "All that's important is finding Prince Finnegan."

Isabel stood there with the items the young woman had handed her. She didn't know where to even begin in the search for Finn. _He could be anywhere in the world by now. He left four years ago. _And then it hit her like a bucket of cold water. She almost jumped for joy. Her last dream was the clue. It was almost as if her brain knew what was coming. She knew exactly where he was: his favorite secret hideout.

* * *

_The Day After Amanda's Trial_

"Look who decided to be a part of the world today!" Dillard said when he saw that his friend Finn had finally woken up. Dillard was sitting by the newly kindled fire and was peeling one of the oranges.

"Is Amanda awake?"

"Nope. Should I wake her?"

"I had trouble sleeping. I had a lot to think about."

"You mean you had a lot to _fantasize_ about."

"What are you talking about?" Finn sat down beside Dillard and took a piece of orange from him.

"You totally like Amanda. And don't even bother denying it." Finn reached in for another piece and Dillard promptly swatted his hand away.

"So what? She's a beautiful girl. How am I supposed to _not_ like her?"

"She's a _girl_. Girls are moody and annoying and all they want are little babies." Dillard turned to Finn. "Not worth it man."

"If you say so. But we're stuck with her, you know. You two are outlaws now."

"Oh, and I suppose you were an outlaw before us? What are you the expert on being an outlaw?"

"Yeah, something like that." Finn said without looking up from the fire.

Before Dillard could answer, Amanda sat down on the other side of Finn.

"Morning boys."

"Morning." Dillard and Finn both said unenthusiastically.

"So what's the game plan Finn? We can't stay here for much longer."

"We can't leave!" Finn said defensively. "No one will catch us here! I've been here for years!"

"But this place is made for one person! Either we have to expand or we move on." She looked down at the ground. "I've always wanted to see the coast. I hear it's beautiful this time of year."

"You've never been to the coast Amanda?" Dillard asked. "I thought everyone had been there!"

"Not me. I've never had the luxury to leave. I only got paid in food back in the village."

"They never paid you in money?" Finn asked. "That doesn't sound right."

"Well Finn, when you're as poor as dirt and have got a sister to feed, you do whatever you can to get food. Money isn't everything you know." To Finn it seemed as if Amanda was trying to convince herself of the last part.

Dillard stifled a laugh. "Your sister? You mean—"

"Don't talk about my sister Dillard."

"It's not my fault she left—"

"Shut up Dillard." Amanda closed her eyes and spoke firmly.

"—and joined Maleficent's court—"

"I said shut up Dillard." Finn felt like he was the only one noticing that Amanda's fists were clenched.

"—and was never heard from again!"

"I said shut up!" Amanda stood up and unclenched her fists and both Dillard and Finn were sent flying back ten feet.

Finn could only stare at Amanda. She said she could do things others couldn't. _Could she really be a witch? No, impossible! Witches aren't real!_

"Finn…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to."

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Dillard yelled.

"I'm sorry, I just got so worked up, and I…I…"

"Amanda, what was that?" Finn asked softly.

"I…I can…push things without really touching them." Amanda looked at Finn, then glanced at the ground. "It only happens when I get all worked up and don't have time to cool down."

Finn got up and walked up to Amanda until he was right in front of her. Dillard stood still right where he had hit the ground, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Amanda looked Finn right in the eyes and burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry. I…I didn't mean to! I just can't control it some times!"

"Is there anytime that you can control it?"

"Uh…yeah. I guess if I tried really hard." Amanda looked up at Finn, who was a few inches taller than her, and stared into his green eyes. "I'm so sorry Finn. I understand if you want me to leave."

"No." Finn answered firmly, and probably too quickly.

"What?" Dillard protested.

"Don't leave Amanda." Finn put his hands on her shoulders. "So you have powers? That could come in handy, assuming you can control it. It could be our secret weapon." Finn smiled.

"You…you really want me to stay?"

Finn nodded and pulled Amanda into a hug. After a few seconds, before Finn let go of Amanda, he looked past her and saw two people walking toward them. He immediately let go of Amanda, found his sword on the ground by the fire and pointed it out toward the two people.

"Who are you?" Finn yelled out at the two walkers.

"Prince Finnegan? Is that you?" A female voice yelled back.

Finn was too stunned to reply. No one had called him that since the night he left. He let the two approach but did not lower his sword. The two walkers looked to be his age, one female and one male. The male had red hair and was dressed in armor that Finn hadn't seen since Maleficent took over—a great sign for the rightful king. The female was in a muddy blue knee-length dress and had her brown hair pulled back in a messy braid.

"Finn?" the girl asked. "Do you remember me? I'm…Isabel Angelo, but you called me Willa. We used to take lessons together before…well you know…"

Finn lowered his sword and stared at the young woman. "Willa?"

* * *

**Thanks everybody for the reviews! I didn't realize y'all would like this one as much as y'all seem too! Keep the reviews coming! I love reading them! And please be honest! I'll try to have another chapter up as soon as possible! :)**


	4. Shirtless Ex-Soldier

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews! I love reading them, but I just HAVE to highlight the fact that kingdom-keepers-rule said "you write like a professional." Ha! If only my English teachers could see that! I'm extremely flattered by that comment in particular, but I love all of them! Y'all are just too nice! :)**

**This chapter's more of a fill-in-the-holes...not as much action, so it won't be as good (cue: awwww from the crowd). But not to worry, we're getting into the good stuff! I do have to admit, some of this might seem familiar to fans of Aladdin. I can't help it! It's so good! I was inspired! Plus, without realizing it, I had set myself up perfectly for this. **

**Oh and for fans of Charlene & Maybeck...don't worry! They're in this story too, but they won't come in until later. You can't have an epic Kingdom Keepers story without ****_all_**** of the keepers!**

**Wow, two chapters in a day! I doubt this'll happen again. But I couldn't resist! Y'all seemed so eager to read more, so I caved!**

**Anyway, enough ranting and more story! I hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Shirtless Ex-Soldiers

_Two Days Before Amanda's Trial_

Isabel had been walking in the woods all night and into the morning. She hadn't rested for a second. She knew exactly where she was going, but she needed to get some food. She wasn't sure how much longer she could go without eating.

Somewhere in the afternoon she made it to a village. _Great, just great. That wasn't here four years ago! _Isabel decided to act as if she belonged.

Walking through the rather large village in a ripped and torn fancy dress was not Isabel's best idea. She realized most of the villagers did double takes upon noticing her, but she refused to look anyone in the eye. She couldn't risk anyone noticing her necklace. She had no doubt that she would be turned in and sent back to Maleficent in a heartbeat.

After walking through what seemed like endless streets, Isabel spotted a vendor selling fruits. She walked up to the man, inspected the apples and grabbed one.

"How much for this apple?" She asked the man.

"Six pennies."

Isabel reached into the small leather pouch and handed the man six pennies, as requested. Before turning to leave, the man reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Where did you get these girl?" He whispered harshly.

"They're not stolen, if that's what you are implying."

"Maybe, but they've got the royal family crest on it. I can't accept these."

"But…but…" Isabel's eyes widened. _What am I going to do? The young woman set me up!_

"Hugo! Oh good! You found her!" A young man called out as he walked up to the vendor's table. He winked at Isabel. "I've been looking for her all over the place!"

"You…you know her?" Hugo asked the young man.

"She's my sister." Hugo gave the man a skeptical look. "She doesn't get out much. She's not the sharpest knife in the butcher's shop, if you get what I mean." The young man nudged Hugo, winking at Isabel.

"Why does she have royal coins? I can't take these. The Lady Grimhilde will have my head!"

"I'm sure she just found them lying around the house. You know my father's into collecting old antiques. Someday someone will pay good money for these ancient items!" The young man snatched the pennies from Hugo's hand and handed them back to Isabel.

"Get her out of here, Dell." Hugo let go of Isabel's wrist. "I can't have her around. She's bad for business."

"Don't worry about us, Hugo." Dell reached into his pocket and pulled out some more coins. "Here's enough for two apples. One for me," Dell turned to Isabel, "and one for her."

Hugo took the money and Dell pulled Isabel down the street and into a nearby alleyway.

"Where did you get those royal coins?" Dell asked Isabel in hushed tones.

"Why did you save me back there?" Isabel quickly retorted. "I didn't need saving."

"Answer my question first, then I'll answer yours."

"Why should I trust you Dell?"

"Why do you have the royal family crest hanging around your neck?" Isabel was shocked. She looked down to see that the necklace was in fact showing.

"I…uh…" Isabel hurried to take off the necklace and stuff it in the small leather bag.

"You don't have to hide that from me. I'm on your side."

"What do you mean?"

In response, Dell took off his shirt. He turned around, revealing a small tattoo of the royal family crest just below his shoulder blade on his right side. Isabel immediately recognized it: all soldiers for the royal army had that tattoo.

"You're a royal soldier!" Isabel took a step back. "How is that even possible? All of you are supposed to be dead!"

"Who told you that?" Dell turned around with a confused facial expression.

"Uh…I just assumed…" Isabel didn't know how much she could trust Dell yet. She needed to know how much he knew. She might even need him to help her find Finn.

"You were held in the castle by Maleficent, weren't you?"

"How could you possibly know that?"

"There were rumors that not all of the royals were killed."

"I'm not the only one. Prince Finnegan's still alive."

"Hmm…so the rumors _are_ true." Dell took a step toward Isabel, still holding his dull blue linen shirt in his hand. "The real question is why you were kept alive this long. The king didn't have any granddaughters. He only had the prince."

"I'm not of royal blood."

"Then why do you have the royal family crest around your neck?"

"It was a gift from Prince Finnegan himself." Isabel was finding herself having a hard time focusing on the task at hand. She couldn't help but sneak a peek at Dell's abs. _He's just so attractive. No Isabel! Focus!_

"That makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Maleficent must have kept you alive all this time so that she could use you as leverage to lure Prince Finnegan out into the open. If he found out his betrothed was being held captive, he would _have_ to come back and rescue her."

"We weren't betrothed! We were just friends. My parents would have loved it if we were betrothed but –"

Dell had already tuned Isabel out. Realizing that Isabel was not betrothed made him want to jump for joy. He found Isabel to be a beautiful young woman. There was something about her that drew him in. He felt the sudden urge to protect her from Hugo only minutes earlier. His mother had always mentioned love at first sight, but Dell had always thought of it as an illogical concept. How could one simply fall in love with one glance? Seeing Isabel in the marketplace at Hugo's table most definitely proved his earlier perception of love at first sight wrong. He was in love with Isabel—it was official.

"—I need to find Finn. He's got to reclaim the throne. Since you're a soldier of the royal army, can you help me?" Isabel looked up at Dell with pleading eyes.

"You want _me_ to help _you_ find Prince Finnegan?" Dell couldn't help but smile. "Do you know where he is?"

"Of course! So Dell, are you coming with me or not?"

"I will…uh…what's your name?"

"Lady Isabel Angelo, but my friend called me Willa." Isabel said with pride.

"Alright, Lady Isabel—I mean Willa—I will join you under one condition."

"And that is?"

"Call me Philby."

* * *

_The Day After Amanda's Trial_

It had been three days of walking for Willa and Philby. Before leaving the village, she had bought a new, simple, blue dress and shoes that were much better for walking. Philby had traded the royal coins for a good sword to accompany his armor. Philby felt more like himself with the royal armor on, like the old ways were coming back.

The past three days had been the best of Philby's life. With everything Willa said he fell more in love with her. He listened as he talked about her family and how they became royalty. She went on and on about how she never wanted to be queen, but she felt her mother pressuring her to marry Prince Finnegan. Upon realizing that all of her family was most likely dead, there had been tears, and Philby had done his best to comfort her.

Willa could not have been happier walking with Philby. The way he had dropped everything to join her on her quest to find Finn really moved her. She found Philby very attractive and couldn't help herself from falling for him. But her head kept reminding her that she was royalty and he was not. It wasn't right for them to be together. It would never work. The last thing Willa wanted was to get her hopes up, just to be disappointed.

It was somewhere just past noon when Willa saw the hideout. They had reached their destination.

Willa saw three people: two boys and one girl. Upon seeing Philby and herself, one of the boys drew his sword.

"Who are you?" Willa knew that voice too well. She almost started crying just hearing her best friend's voice.

"Prince Finnegan? Is that you?" Willa yelled back. Philby stood beside her, sword drawn as well.

The next few seconds were crucial. They would determine how relations would start in between the five people. Willa wanted nothing more than to start off on the right foot with Finn and his two friends.

"Finn?" Willa tried the only thing she could think of: jogging his memory. She slowly started walking toward Finn as she continued. "Do you remember me? I'm…Isabel Angelo, but you called me Willa. We used to take lessons together before…well you know…"

Finn lowered his sword and stared at her. "Willa?"

Willa smiled, letting a tear fall down her cheek. She ran up to Finn and gave him a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alive! I thought you were dead!" She whispered in his ear. Finn released her and held her at arm's length, looking her over.

"Where have you been for the past four years? Did you get out during the raid? How did you find me?"

"Whoa! Slow down there Finn! Let's sit down and talk."

"Okay." He smiled and hugged her again. "I'm so glad to see you."

Willa heard Philby cough. Willa let go of Finn and walked over to Philby.

"Finn, this is Dell Philby. He was a soldier in the royal army, and he's here to help us."

"Behind me are Dillard and Amanda." Finn stepped forward and extended his hand to Philby, who promptly shook it. "What's he here to help us with?"

"Restoring you back to the throne. You're the rightful king."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dillard walked up and joined the group. "My man Finn here is a _king_?" Willa nodded. "That's awesome!" Dillard held his hand up for a high-five, which Finn reluctantly returned.

"Who said I wanted to be king?" Finn asked Willa.

"It's your duty, Finn. You were born to be king."

"But what if I don't want to be king? I'm much better at being a nobody."

"Where's the Finn I knew back at the castle? Where is the Finn that claimed he was going to be the best king the kingdom had ever seen? Where's the Finn that had more courage than anyone I know? Where's the Finn that stands up for the weak, even if it requires him to lose something? The Finn I became friends with wouldn't let a scumbag like Maleficent come in, kill his family, and ruin the kingdom! You've got to fight to save all that's good in this kingdom! Her reign of terror needs to end!"

All four stared at Willa as she took a deep breath.

Finn was the first to speak. He spoke quietly, but firmly. Willa only remembered him speaking that way when he was furious. "Did _she_ hurt you in any way, Willa?"

Willa took a few deep breaths before answering in a quiet whisper. "Yes."

"That's it! That's the last straw! I'm going to chop her head off!" Finn walked back to the hideout and started gathering his things.

"Finn! Calm down! Now's not the time to get irrational." Willa yelled to him.

Amanda walked over to Finn, placed a hand on his arm and whispered something in his ear. Willa could only assume it was something to calm him down. After some words were exchanged between the two, Amanda dragged Finn back to the group.

"Let's not get irrational about this, Prince Finnegan." Philby said. "We'll need to come up with a plan. And we can't do this without allies."

Finn took a few deep breaths, staring at the ground, like he did when he was deep in thought.

"Who do you have in mind, soldier?"

"I say we need to try other monarchies. Word has it they are all on the brink of war with Maleficent."

"Okay." Finn took the time to look at each person in the eyes. "We leave in the morning." Finn turned and went back to the makeshift shelter that he called the hideout without another word.

* * *

"Can I sit here?" Willa asked Finn. It was in the middle of the night but when Willa saw Finn sitting by the fire, she decided to talk to him.

"Sure." He scooted over to give her have enough room to sit on the log.

"So this is the infamous hideout you raved about back in the day?"

Finn let out a small laugh. "How do you remember that?"

"Honestly, I didn't. The night before I got out, that conversation was in my dream." She grabbed a nearby stick and pushed rocks around with it. "Talk about coincidence."

"How did you even find this place?"

"You told me exactly how to get here."

"Oh, right. I forgot." He paused. "What exactly happened after the raid?"

"I…I was taken by the guards and brought into a cell in the dungeon. I was given food and water and every once in a while Maleficent herself would show up." Willa felt a cold breeze just thinking about her. "It was like that for four years. Until a few nights ago when a young woman let me out and told me to come find you."

"Did you know who the woman was?"

"No. She wouldn't tell me her name."

"Willa…I'm so sorry that all this happened to you. It's all my fault."

"How is all of this your fault? For some reason she thought I would be useful to her, otherwise I'd be dead. I probably should be thanking you. If we weren't as good of friends, I probably wouldn't have been spared."

"So your parents are—"

"Dead." Finn and Willa sat in silence, letting reality set in.

"How did you meet a royal soldier?"

"Ran into him at a nearby village."

"How do I know we can trust him?"

"He's a royal soldier, Finn. Trust me, we can trust him."

Finn studied her face, and then nodded. "Alright."

"What about Amanda and Dillard? How do you know them?"

"Dillard was the one who would get me free food when I would go into the village. Amanda, well I kind of saved her from being burned at the stake."

"And what would compel you to do something so stupid! Maleficent already has it out for you. By doing something like that, you've probably exposed yourself!"

"I couldn't just let her die, Willa."

Willa stared at Finn with her mouth wide open.

Finn shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"Oh my gosh, you like her!"

Finn looked down at the ground, blushing. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Oh Finn. Have you made a move yet?" She winked at him.

"I tried, she said the moment had to be right."

Willa laughed.

"What's so funny Willa? Me being rejected is funny to you?"

"Yes, yes it is!" Willa said in between laughs. "I guess it never occurred to me that you'd actually start liking girls."

"Whoa there, I've liked girls before."

"Really now?" She looked at him skeptically. "Name _one_."

"Remember that time we went into the nearby village with my aunt and you dared me to get a kiss from the pretty girl who worked at the tavern when she wasn't looking?"

Willa burst out into laughter. "Yeah! And when you leaned in for a kiss, she slapped you across the face!"

"Yeah…I couldn't stop thinking about how pretty she was for the rest of the month."

"Wow, that's pathetic, Finn." And being a mature nineteen-year-old royal prince, Finn pushed Willa so hard she fell off the log and both laughed.

"You need to do it, Finn." Willa said after composing herself.

"Do what?"

"Take the throne back from Maleficent."

"I don't know Willa. I'm not cut out for being king."

Willa turned to face Finn, placed her hand under his chin and pointed his face toward hers.

"That's the exact reason I _know_ you're going to be a great king."

Willa stood up. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep. I hear we've got some traveling to do."

"Night Willa. I'm glad to have you back in my life. It got kind of lonely out here."

"Well lucky you, you're stuck with me from here on out." She smiled at her best friend. "Night Finn."

* * *

**Well there you have it! Not as exciting as the past chapters, but it has some cute Finn-Willa friendship moments. I must say, I've got a soft spot for Willa-she's my favorite (after Finn, of course).**

**That last part probably wasn't necessary to the plot at all, but it's precious, so I'm gonna keep it.**

**So, hopefully I'll have the next one up soon! I love reading the reviews and I'd love to hear some suggestions! I'll do my best to incorporate suggestions into the story where I can! :) Thanks for reading and please review! **


	5. When Oranges Start Flying

**Here's the next chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it as much as you have the others!**

* * *

Chapter 5: When Oranges Start Flying

"So let me get this straight." Dillard was currently walking in between Finn and Willa, Philby and Amanda were in front leading the way. They were currently headed to the coastal port, hoping to catch a boat ride to one of the island kingdoms. "You two knew each other back before you-know-who took over?"

"Right so far Dill." Finn said with a slight hint of annoyance. For the past few hours, Dillard had been asking him every question imaginable about being the future king.

Dillard turned to Willa. "And your parents wanted you to marry Finn, so you'd be the queen someday, but you said no because you two were friends?"

"That's right Dillard. I'm not going to marry a guy I treat like my brother." Willa said gently. If she was getting annoyed with Dillard's questions, it wasn't showing.

"Why would you _not_ want to be queen? Isn't that every girl's dream?"

"It might be. But I'm not your average girl." Willa winked at him. "Hey Philby! How much longer until we can rest a little bit?"

"I guess now's a good time." Philby replied. He found a small area in the woods where all five could sit down. Dillard pulled out a few oranges and started peeling his.

"So how much longer until we get to the port?" Finn asked Philby.

"If we kept walking at the same pace…tomorrow afternoon."

"That's good, right?" Dillard asked with a mouth full of oranges.

"Yes, Dillard. It's good. The faster we get help, the faster Finn gets to take back his throne." Amanda was directly looking at Finn, not breaking her stare for a second. Finn was glad he was sitting, because he felt his knees going weak.

"I wouldn't necessarily call it _my_ throne."

"Finn! Shut it! We're not having this 'I'm not good enough to be king' crap anymore! You're going to do a great job and we'll be here to support you the entire time! Now deal with it!" Willa picked up an orange and threw it at him, bouncing off his left shoulder and flying off into the woods.

"Who knew oranges could fly?" Dillard asked before all five burst out into laughter.

"Ouch Willa!" Finn pretended to be hurt and pointed to in the direction of the orange. "Look what you did! Go get it!" Willa just rolled her eyes, mumbling something about how annoying he could be and got up to go retrieve the orange.

* * *

"Stupid orange, where did you roll off too?" Willa saw it had flown off in this direction, but couldn't seem to find it anywhere.

Willa stopped in her tracks at the sound of a stick breaking.

She looked down beneath her own foot and saw that it wasn't her, which could only mean someone else was out there.

She took a few steps toward the group when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She turned around at the last second and everything went black.

* * *

"Where's Willa? She left like five minutes ago. Surely the orange didn't go _that_ far!" Finn was now worried. The last thing he wanted was for his best friend to get lost or get captured by Maleficent's guards, again.

"I'll go out there and find her." Philby got up, grabbed his sword and trudged off in the same direction Willa had gone in not only five minutes earlier.

"WILLA!" Finn heard Philby scream. All three ran off toward his scream.

The sight absolutely horrified Finn.

Willa was lying on the ground, clearly unconscious. She had a long gash that stretched almost all the way across her forehead. There were a few scratches on her arms and legs, but all of them had those from the thorns they had passed by earlier.

Philby was leaning over her, checking to make sure she was still breathing. Amanda knelt down on the other side of Willa, and placed her hand on her forehead, examining the gash.

"What happened?" Dillard asked nonchalantly, again with a mouth full.

"It looks like somebody attacked her out here in the woods." Philby glanced up at Finn. They both knew it was time to keep moving, which would be very difficult with an unconscious girl.

After moving Willa's unconscious body back to where they had been sitting earlier, Amanda ripped off a piece of her sleeve, wet it with water from Willa's canteen and placed it over the gash to clean the wound. Dillard was helping Amanda, so Finn pulled Philby aside so that they could talk in hushed tones.

"Okay soldier. What do we do? We need to move on! Somebody's found us!"

"We can't continue on, Willa's unconscious!"

"I know it's not the best idea, but we've got to keep moving! Somebody will have to carry her!"

"Carrying her would slow us down significantly, making it easier for whoever did this" Philby pointed to Willa "to get all of us!"

"Great!" Finn let his hands fly up in frustration. "So what _do_ we do?"

"We'll have to stay the night probably. Somebody will have to stay up at all times and keep watch. It's our best line of defense against whomever is out there."

"Then we leave in the morning, whether she wakes up or not?"

"I think she'll wake up before then, but yes that's the plan."

* * *

Finn took first watch. Philby had surprised him. He was currently sleeping right next to Willa, holding her hand. _As if doing that would somehow help her wake up faster_, Finn thought to himself. Seeing this made Finn brought out overprotecting-big-brother feelings for Willa. He didn't want her to get hurt, especially not by any guy he knew personally. _Oh great, now I'm going to have to talk to him about her._

Out of the corner of his eye, Finn saw Amanda sit up. She searched their mini campsite, but when her eyes found him, she smiled and came over to join him.

"How's first watch going?"

"Pretty boring if you ask me. Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope." Amanda stared off into the distance—which consisted of trees, trees, and more trees. "So you're the future king, huh? That's…cool." For some reason, Finn didn't think Amanda was all that impressed with his true identity.

"I guess so. Can I be honest with you for a second?" Amanda nodded. "It's not that I don't want revenge on Maleficent, because I do, but I really just don't want to be king."

"Why don't you want to be king?"

"I'm not the kind of person the people will want. They wanted people like my father or my grandfather: brave, courageous, trustworthy, and…loyal."

"And why don't you think you have those things?"

"I don't know…I'm just not my father or grandfather, I guess."

"You're wrong." Amanda looked him directly in the eyes and Finn's heart skipped a beat. "You were courageous and brave when you saved me. You're most certainly trustworthy, and the fact that you're going back to regain your family's throne makes you pretty loyal."

"You think so?"

She placed her hand on top of his. "I think you'll be all those things when oranges start flying."

Finn smiled at her and leaned in a little—maybe this moment was the right one. Amanda placed a finger to his lips.

"Not yet." She gave him a brief smile. "Now let Philby keep watch and get some rest."

Normally, Finn didn't let people boss him around like that, but Amanda was different. Everything about her was different—but in a good way. He felt that connection between the two of them grow stronger and stronger with each passing moment. Hopefully that perfect moment would be coming soon.

* * *

Philby sat there holding Willa's hand. He had been doing this since they found her and he would keep doing it until she woke up. Amanda had cleaned off the gash fairly well and she had tore off part of Finn's cape to wrap around her head for the night.

He had to admit it, the past few days had been great, but seeing Willa unconscious stirred up feelings he didn't know he had. When he had found her, he had wanted to find who did this to her and hurt them—bad.

With his thumb, he stroked her hand. _She looks so beautiful when she sleeps_. Philby glanced around to check on the others, when he felt someone slightly squeeze his hand.

"Philby?" Willa's weak voice croaked out. He turned around to see Willa opening her eyes.

Philby brushed his free hand across her forehead, moving a stray hair away from her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone dropped a house on me." She gave him a weak smile.

"It's that bad, huh?"

Willa nodded. "How long was I out?"

"Just a couple of hours." Philby glanced down at her hand, which he was still holding. "I was really worried about you."

"Head wounds," she shifted to a sitting position, "always look worse than they really are."

"And how would you know that? Does this happen to you a lot?"

"Are you underestimating my intelligence Philby? Because I am a very smart young lady."

"No, no, no! I mean, you're very smart. Why would I ever call you stupid? Because you're not." Philby stopped himself, realizing how much of a fool he had become.

Willa let out a small laugh, looked down and realized that she was still holding Philby's hand.

"Oh, sorry about that." She took her hand back and started blushing.

"Don't be." Philby grabbed her hand and smiled. "I never said I didn't like it."

* * *

From behind one of the pillars in the throne room, Jess saw it all.

The messenger knocked on the door rapidly before bursting through the giant doors. He led the soldier into the main throne room, where Maleficent was sitting on the throne. The room was freezing cold, numbing to those who were not used to it. At her right was a man, whom the messenger recognized as General Jafar—the leader of the army. On her left, was Lady Grimhilde, who was the ruler of one of the larger villages about a day's trip away. Both were competing for Maleficent's attention, but the messenger immediately received it.

"Your majesty, this soldier claims to have important news that only you can hear." The messenger said while bowing.

"Bring him here then leave my presence."

The messenger did as he was told, and the soldier walked toward the throne.

"Your majesty, I have news that one of my soldiers found the Lady Isabel. One can only assume that the prince is not far away."

"And what did the soldier do upon finding her?" Maleficent tapped her fingers on the arm of the throne.

"She was wounded, your majesty, but she is not dead."

"Good. She can still be of use to us. Do you know where they were headed?"

"The soldier believes they are headed to the coastal port."

"Send out a team to intercept them. Make sure they do not leave get onto a boat."

Upon hearing this, the soldier nodded, bowed and left the room.

Once she was sure Maleficent and her allies had left, Jess moved behind the throne and moved on one of the stones in the floor, revealing a secret staircase.

Upon sealing herself into the secret tunnel, Jess moved swiftly down the staircase. This was news that she had to report immediately. Wearing the cape that her sister had made her two years ago, she had a harder time moving as fast as she wanted, and almost tripped down the staircase twice.

At the bottom of the staircase was a small wooden door. Jess knocked two times, then four times, then once more.

The small door opened and Jess hurried in. The small room composed of a makeshift bed and a small table with four chairs. Currently there was only one middle-aged woman sitting at the table. She looked up at Jess and smiled at her after she closed the door.

"Jess, my dear. What brings you down here?"

"Maleficent's soldiers have found Lady Isabel and they believe she is with Prince Finnegan." Jess sat down at the table and placed a leather pouch on the table. "I also brought you some food."

"Thank you my dear." She opened the pouch and started to eat some of its contents. "I was wondering what was taking Maleficent so long to find them."

"You _want_ her to find them?"

"No, of course not dear! This is my nephew we are talking about! Of course I want him safe, but I know Maleficent too well. She is swift and has spies everywhere." The woman looked up at Jess and smiled. "But luckily, I have one where it matters—right in Maleficent's court."

"She sent out soldiers to intercept them from getting to the coastal port. Why would they possibly go there?"

"To get to the island kingdoms." She smiled. "The island kingdoms were very loyal to my family and I, they would help us overthrow her for the right price."

"So why haven't you gone there? You've spent all of your time down here!"

"Things are falling into place, my dear Jess. It is not my place to take back the throne. The agreement was that I was to hold the title of queen until my nephew could take over as king. The time has come for Finnegan to come through on his promise." The woman reached over and grabbed Jess' hand. "Now you must go, my dear, before Maleficent has realized _Jezebel_ has gone missing."

Jess stood up and turned to the door.

"Thank you Jess, for the food."

"You are most welcome, your highness." Jess curtsied and went back up the staircase to the throne room. She took a deep breath. _Okay Jess. Time for the acting to begin again. You are Jezebel, you're not a spy and you love being here in Maleficent's court. _Jess sighed. She knew she couldn't keep up this act for much longer. But if what the queen said was true, the prince would come back before anyone would find out her secret.

* * *

**So there you have it! Next chapter is going to bring in one of the remaining 2 Kingdom Keepers (either Maybeck or Charlene). Any ideas on how they're going to fit into the story? **

**Hope y'all enjoyed it! And please review, I love reading them! And seriously, be honest! **


	6. Three Amigos or Something Like That

**I just want to apologize for any inconvenience I might have caused earlier today, I was trying to fix one of the earlier chapters and ended up having to delete all chapters and re-add them. So sorry about that guys! **

**It deleted all of the # of views, but it was almost 300 (technically in the 280's somewhere, but almost 300 sounds better) in THREE DAYS! You guys are awesome! There were even people viewing it in Australia and Japan! TALK ABOUT AWESOME! Y'all are the best! It's official :)**

**Okay best people ever, this one's a little short. But it came between super short or extremely long, so I chose the first option. Anyway, thanks for the great reviews and enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Three Amigos or Something Like That

It took them a lot longer than Philby had estimated to get to the coastal port. Willa's ability to walk all day without many stops had been seriously overstated. They had gotten off the trail a few times trying to avoid guards and then proceeded to get lost more times than Philby would like to admit.

But they had made it. Dillard had struck a deal with a local innkeeper for a room for the night.

Currently Dillard, Amanda and Willa were resting in the room. Philby and Finn had decided to take a trip to the tavern to talk things over.

"So what are the odds of us getting someone to take us to an island kingdom tomorrow?" Philby asked Finn before taking a sip of his drink.

"Probably one in a million." Finn finished off his glass.

"Somebody's optimistic."

"I do my best." Finn waved over a bartender and ordered another drink. Philby finished off his glass and orderd another.

"So Finn, you've known Willa for a long time." Finn turned and looked at Philby, who wouldn't look Finn in the face. "Do you think I have a shot?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"A rhetorical one I guess." The bartender slammed their drinks down and Philby immediately chugged all of it. "There's no way she would go for me. I mean she's royalty after all. The second we put you back on the throne, she'll probably forget all about me."

Finn focused on his drink and kept his gaze locked on it while he answered. "Willa doesn't really think like that. She's not shallow like the other royal girls."

"I wasn't accusing her of being shallow, if that's what you think."

"No, no of course not." Finn looked over at Philby. "I'd say you had a pretty good chance with her."

"You think so?"

"Yeah man. Definitely." Finn placed a hand on Philby's shoulder. "But if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you."

Before Philby could answer, the door to the tavern swung open and a young dark-skinned man in a large black tricorne hat.

"Gaston! Your finest table please!" He took a step in and went straight up to the bar, where Philby and Finn were sitting. "We've just had the best time raiding one of Maleficent's ships and all of my men are here to celebrate."

The man tosses small leather pouch to the bartender, presumably Gaston, who gladly accepts.

"Anything for you Captain!" He turns to the other bartenders. "Drinks all around for Captain Maybeck and his crew!"

The crew cheered. The captain grabbed a drink from Gaston and turned toward Philby and Finn.

"Well look here Gaston! It seems we've got tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb!" The captain sat in the chair next to Philby. "How's it going tonight boys?"

Before either of them could answer, the captain continued. "You two don't look like regulars."

"That's because we're not." Finn stated plainly.

"I'm Philby, this is Finn. We're from..." Philby glanced toward Finn.

"We're from a small village that you probably have never heard of..." Finn trailed off.

"Try me!" The captain slammed his drink down onto the bar. "I love a good challenge!"

"Uh…it's called…" Finn nudged Philby.

"Anaheim. It's right outside of the royal castle." Philby added quickly.

"Anaheim ain't no small town! Heck! That's the one of the biggest towns in the whole kingdom!" The captain laughed probably more than was necessary. "So what brings you two city slickers out here to the coast? You know, I'm always looking for more pirates for the crew."

"We need to get to one of the island kingdoms." Finn said, not knowing which one to mention.

"Hmm…what a coincidence! I'm heading out to the kingdom of Florida in the morning."

"Mind if he catch a ride with you?" Philby asked. "We'll pay."

"The kingdom of Florida's easily a three-day trip, assuming Lady Luck's on our side. With the two of you on board, I'd say we could make a deal."

"Oh, see we've got three others with us."

"Any of 'em ladies?" The captain winked at them.

"Two." Finn held up two fingers.

"We ain't had any ladies on board in a long time. Sure thing! But I'll need some shillings in exchange."

"How many?" Philby asked.

"Eh…we'll decided that in the morning. Meet me at the docks at sunrise."

The captain held up his glass and Gaston came over to refill the trio's glasses.

"I like you two." The now slightly drunk captain said. "How 'bout we toast to the three of us becoming the three amigos or something like that?"

Finn and Philby shared a look, then raised their glasses. The captain smashed his glass into theirs and chugged all of it.

"Now boys, if you don't mind, there's a party going on. And if there's one thing I've learned over my years of being a pirate, it's how to party!"

* * *

**So...what do you think?**

**To kk7: I know this probably isn't the best Finn/Philby "if you hurt her" speech...but I hope you liked it! **

** I'll have the next one up as soon as I can-spoiler alert: it's going to be a good one! Please review! I would love to know what you think!**


	7. Maybe

**So many good reviews! Yay :) Thanks so much for those! I finally got to the point where I could bring flashbacks back into the story. Who doesn't love flashbacks? Personally, I think this is one of the better chapters, but I want to know what y'all think. **

**And without further adieu, let the story continue! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Maybe

Finn had never felt this miserable in his life. He didn't remember much about last night, but he knew it had been a lot of fun, maybe _too_ much fun. Luckily for Finn, Philby didn't look much better.

"You two do remember where the ship is, right?" Finn heard Amanda ask from behind them. Finn and Philby were currently walking the streets of the coastal city towards the place where Captain Maybeck said his ship was docked. Dillard and the two girls were trailing a few feet behind them.

"Of course we do." Philby replied.

The directions to the ship were the only thing Finn remembered from last night, if he didn't count the fuzzy memory of threatening to kill Philby.

Finn and Philby continued to stumble along the streets for another twenty minutes or so when they heard a familiar scream down at the end of the nearby dock.

"WHY IS ALL THE RUM GONE?" The captain screamed at one of the crew members. He looked up, saw Finn and Philby and smiled, then returned to yelling at the crew member. "Why don't you go over there and explain to Phildweeb and Shark Fin why all the blasted rum is gone? We're going to be at sea for three days! We—" the captain pointed to Philby and Finn before pointing at himself "need _a lot_ of rum!"

The crew member looked nervously between the three of them.

"I can go buy some more, if you'd like captain."

"Buy as much as you can!" He shoved the crew member in the direction of the city. "And hurry! We won't wait around forever!"

Once the crew member had gone out of sight, Captain Maybeck turned to the group of five and smiled.

"Boys! How ya shaping up this fine morning? I hate to tell you we ran out of rum." The captain quieted down and clasped his hands together, as if it was time for a moment of silent prayer. "But no worries! We'll be getting more! If you think last night was a party, just imagine what it'll be like out at sea!" Captain Maybeck glanced behind them. "So I see you brought your friends with you."

Maybeck walked past Philby and Finn, shortly introduced himself to Dillard and ended up in front of Willa.

"Captain Terry Maybeck, at your service." He did a little bow. "What's your name beautiful?"

Finn could feel Philby's anger from where he was standing.

Willa gave a short-lived, weak, sarcastic smile. "It's Lady Isabel to you, _captain_." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Ah, a member of the royal family. It's not everyday one of them wanders onto my ship. Pleasure to have you my lady." He winked at her, but Willa seemed unfazed by it. He moved on to Amanda.

"And why do you seem familiar?" He asked Amanda.

"I…I've never seen you before in my life." Amanda answered with a shaky voice.

"You sure sweetheart? I usually don't forget faces."

"You must be mistaking me for someone else."

"Got any sisters? A twin maybe?"

Before Amanda could answer, there was a large crash in the direction of the ship.

"Oh great! First the rum's gone, now the stupid lads are tearing up my ship! This trip ain't starting off so good." Captain Maybeck took one last skeptical look at Amanda turned to face the rest of the group. "What are you all waiting for? Let's get on the ship! We've got a long trip ahead of us!"

* * *

"Hey Finn! You look a lot better than you did this morning!" Captain Maybeck yelled down to Finn. The captain was currently at the giant steering wheel, singing _"yo ho a pirate's life for me"_ and drinking a bottle of rum. "Come on up here kid! We've got to talk!" Finn climbed the stairs to where the captain was and stood next to him.

"Do you really have to call me kid? You're what? Twenty-one?"

"Twenty-three in five days, mind you." The captain turned around and handed Finn the bottle of rum. "And it's my ship, I do what I want."

"Aye, aye, captain." Finn accompanied that with a sarcastic salute.

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated Shark Fin."

"Duly noted captain."

"So I must ask. Why are you headed off to the Florida kingdom?"

"I need the king & queen's help." Captain Maybeck laughed, confusing Finn.

Captain Maybeck turned around, saw Finn's confused look, and explained himself.

"You didn't hear? The king and queen were killed by assassins about half a year ago. Between me and you, I say it's Maleficent."

"So who's in charge over there?"

"Their daughter…what's her name…Charlie? Anyway, I doubt she'll help you. I hear she's trying to find herself a husband so that she can crank out a baby boy."

Finn suddenly remembered who he was talking about. He had heard the same tales of her beauty as all men had. It was common knowledge amongst the male population of California. "Why is she in such a hurry to do that? She can't be older than me!"

"Dang you're so far out of the loop that you might as well be on another planet right now!" Captain Maybeck shook his head at Finn's lack of knowledge. "She's twenty-two and the rumors say she's smoking hot." He turned his head and winked at him.

"So why wouldn't she help me?"

"'Cause unless you're a prince she ain't gonna pay a lick of attention to you."

Finn stifled a laugh. "Good thing I'm a prince then."

"Say what?" Captain Maybeck turned around so fast, that he ended up turning the wheel with him. Everyone on the top deck struggled to hold on while the captain fixed his mistake. After blaming his mistake on the "bloody rum", he ordered a crew member to take over and the two of them continued their conversation in the captain's quarters.

"You? A prince? Now why didn't that come up last night?"

"Well probably because we were drunk. Even if I had said it, you probably wouldn't remember."

"But you're...a prince? Of which kingdom?"

"California."

"Whoa there! All of the royals were killed by Maleficent and her guards."

"Obviously not! I'm standing right here!"

"Alright, I'll play along. So what does 'Prince Finn' need Queen Charlie for?"

"I need her army to help me take back the throne from Maleficent."

"You're planning on dethroning Maleficent?" Captain Maybeck leaned back in the chair behind his desk. "Interesting…"

Captain Maybeck took advantage of Finn's silence. He studied him. _How could this guy be a prince? There's no way! Maybe it's worth giving him a shot. Getting in on the revenge could work in my favor. Maybe he could finally get some answers about the raid three years ago._

"Alright, I'm in." Captain Maybeck said, ending the silence.

"What?"

"I'm helping you take that throne of yours back."

"Why would you do that?" Finn shifted in his chair. "I didn't even ask that!"

"I've got my own reasons to want Maleficent out of here as much as the next Californian, but I think I could be a great resource to you. I've got control of the seas and in truth I'm awesome. I could take her all by myself, but since it's _your_ throne, I'm assuming you'll want that part."

"Alright then."

"I think this is the part where you shake my hand."

Finn extended his hand and Captain Maybeck shook it.

"Welcome to royal army, Captain Maybeck."

* * *

"So when did you join the army?" Willa asked Philby. It was long past the time that everyone had gone to sleep, but the two were still up talking in Philby's cabin. They were both sitting on opposites of his bed, facing each other.

"On my eighteenth birthday. That was about five months before the raids."

"Were they really a surprise, like Maleficent claimed?"

"Maybe the higher ranking officers knew about them, but I had no clue."

Willa looked down at her hands, which were now in her lap. Philby cleared his throat and asked the question he had been wondering for some time now.

"What happened to you inside the castle those four years?"

"I was kept inside a cell."

"That was it? Did you ever talk to anyone?"

"Only Maleficent, and every once in a while the two guards outside my cell. And this other woman…" Willa felt her voice falter.

"Who was she?"

"I never learned her name, but every time she came into the cell…" Willa felt tears streaming down her face. "Every time she came into the cell, I knew I was about to be...tortured."

"They tortured you?" Philby could feel his heart breaking watching her cry. _Why would someone so innocent and beautiful and good have to go through something so horrible? It's just not fair!_

"Yes" was the only word Willa could say before the nightmares came back to her. She couldn't stop the tears falling down her cheeks.

Philby moved over right next to her and held her while she cried.

"Ssh…it's okay Willa. I'm right here." He rubbed her back for a few minutes before gaining the courage to say, "no one is ever going to hurt you ever again."

Willa pulled away and looked up at Philby with red eyes.

"How can you promise that?"

"Because you've got me to protect you from now on." Philby put his hand under her chin. "I'll be your knight in shining armor."

Philby leaned in and kissed her on the lips. If he could have frozen time in that moment, he would have, for it was perfect.

* * *

_"Jess? Is that you?" Amanda sat up in bed. She had tried her hardest to stay up until her sister came home, but had failed. _

_"Yeah." Jess crawled into bed next to her sister._

_"So how was it?"_

_"Oh Amanda, he's something else." Her smile as wide as could be._

_"Is that a good or bad thing?" Amanda had been skeptical of the whole ordeal and she wanted to make sure Jess knew it._

_"Neither, it's a _great _thing__!"_

_"So I'm assuming there's a second date coming up soon?"_

_"If he asked me to marry him today I'd say yes." Jess looked up at her sister with a smile. "Does that answer your question?"_

_"You're only sixteen sis, no need to get yourself married off quite yet! At least let me meet him first!"_

_"He's meeting me by the well just outside of town tomorrow around noon. I could get him to walk me back here, so you could meet him then!"_

The dream shifts.

_Amanda wasn't sure if she had ever seen Jess this excited to do anything work-related. The whole morning Jess had been singing while working._

_Upon returning from getting water from the well, Amanda could see how happy she was. The young dark-skinned man at her side was carrying the water for her, which instantly made Amanda like him. She could tell that her sister was truly happy, and that was all that really mattered. _

_Jess called her sister over once she saw her watching them. The boy introduced himself as Terry. He was a gentleman and was very sarcastic, which Jess seemed to enjoy a lot. Overall he was a great guy. Amanda was so glad that her sister had found someone that truly made her happy._

_Five weeks later, Jess was gone._

* * *

Amanda awoke with a startle. Not wanting to dream of her sister—or of anything—Amanda headed off to the top deck, what the captain had called the poop deck.

It had been almost three years since her sister had left her and every day she missed her more and more. Amanda was glad that Terry hadn't recognized her. She didn't want to have to explain to him that she was probably gone—but that she could never be sure.

Amanda wasn't sure how long she had been standing by the rails, but she started shivering. It was a surprisingly cold night.

She felt something fall onto her shoulder and she jumped.

"Ssh, don't freak out. It's just me." Amanda heard Finn whisper into her ear. "You looked cold, so I brought you the blanket from my bed."

Finn wrapped the blanket over her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her left shoulder.

"So what brings you to the poop deck in the middle of the night?"

"I had a bad dream."

"About what?"

"My sister." The fact that Amanda had answered that question puzzled her. She never talked about her sister. She never let anyone get close to her. How come when Finn was around, it was like her barriers were falling down all around her? _Stop it Amanda_, she scolded herself. _You know what happens when you let down your barriers. They are there for a reason. Don't let Finn in. You don't want to lose him too._

"What happened in the dream?"

It was as if the conversation Amanda had just had in her head with herself had never happened. Amanda ended up spilling the whole story about her sister Jess: how she was different than other people, like Amanda herself was, how she was forced into Maleficent's court for unknown reasons almost three years ago, and how she was probably dead.

Finn listened without saying a word. When Amanda was finished, he kissed her on the cheek.

"We're going to find your sister Amanda."

He didn't tell her he was sorry, he didn't ask any questions, he just said that simple, short sentence. That short sentence was exactly what Amanda needed to hear.

Maybe everything was going to be okay. Maybe it would be okay if she let her barriers down for him. _Maybe._

* * *

**So what did y'all think?**

**If you're a "Charbeck" fan, stick with me here. Maybeck's got a complicated storyline. It'll all make sense in time!**

**Speaking of Charlene, next chapter is where the queen makes her big debut! **

**Read & please review! I love reading them! **


	8. Name Your Price

**Yay next chapter! Personally, I think this one's kind of short and boring, but we get to see Charlene for the first time and get to see more Maybeck. **

**I'm not going to say any more so I don't give anything away! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Name Your Price

The three day journey was a blur, but the captain blamed that on the amount of rum consumed by him, his crew and his three new friends (Shark Fin, Phildweeb and Dillboy).

On the fourth day, everything had gone smoothly: docking the ship, finding the palace, even scoring a meeting with the queen herself. But something was still bothering him, and he couldn't figure out what. Becoming a pirate had always been a boyhood dream of his, but after the awesome parties and becoming captain, he still felt empty inside. Something was missing, and no amount of rum would fix that.

The Floridian capital, Tallahassee, was right off of the coast. The royal castle was cool-looking and all, but the inside blew the captain's mind.

The main hall was lined with large pearl white Greek columns, each had a purple banner with a golden sun draped around them. There was a purple carpet running from the door to the throne. Standing beside the throne was a young woman with blue eyes and long blonde hair, currently braided down her back. She was wearing a simple long-sleeved pink dress that extended to the floor.

And Captain Maybeck couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Upon seeing the group, the woman turned and sat down on the throne. _They weren't lying about her being smoking hot_, the captain thought to himself.

"So the rumors are true!" The queen exclaimed. "Prince Finnegan is alive and has come to ask for my help." Her smile blew the captain away.

"Yes your majesty." Finn bowed to her and the others followed.

"Well, well, well I must say, you are quite the cute little bunch! A rather odd bunch, but yet precious." The queen got up off of her throne and approached the group who were standing in a straight line. "Now, what kind of host would I be if I didn't introduce myself properly."

She stood about five feet in front of Finn and curtsied. "I am Queen Charlene. How may I be of assistance to you and your companions Finnegan?"

"First, call me Finn."

"Done." She had such a warm and loving smile. Captain Maybeck was having a hard time concentrating on anything but her.

"Second, could we…uh…talk more in private." The captain tore his gaze away from the queen for a second to realize that the room was busy with servants.

"Of course. This way." The queen walked down the halls of the huge castle until she stopped in front of two large wooden doors. She opened the doors to reveal a large sitting room.

"How about Finn and I go and talk over in my bedroom, just next door, you know, royal to royal?" She winked at Finn and all the captain could think of was ways to get her attention. "And the rest of you can make yourselves comfortable. I'll send for a servant to get you some food or something to drink. Please, sit. Enjoy yourselves! We shouldn't be long."

The queen ushered Finn out of the room and immediately Dillard and Amanda collapsed into two of the many chairs in the room. Philby and Willa walked around the room, admiring all of its works of art. Captain Maybeck, on the other hand, would have never admitted this to any of the others, but he knew in that moment, that he was falling for Queen Charlene. And falling hard.

* * *

Queen Charlene had a weird effect on Finn. One second he'd be swooning over her, the next he'd remember Amanda and feel awkward and out of place.

"So tell me Finn, where have you been all these years? Maleficent has ruled your kingdom for some time now." She sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her, signaling him to sit there.

"I was living in the woods." He sat down next to her, still a little confused as to why he was the only one allowed to talk to her at the current moment.

"All by yourself? That must have been difficult. Especially knowing that you were the only survivor."

"Well, not really. Willa, I mean Lady Isabel—"

"Let's not talk about your companions. Let's talk about why you really came here." Queen Charlene placed her hand on top of his, causing Finn's heart to skip a beat.

"I…uh…need an army to help get rid of Maleficent."

She rolled her eyes at him and took her hand away. "I figured that much. I want to know what you're willing to give me in return."

Finn got over his silly crush for a few seconds and boldly said "name your price."

* * *

One thing Captain Maybeck hated was waiting. He couldn't stop thinking about Queen Charlene, but every time he thought about her, his memories of Jess would come flooding back.

"You're awfully quiet captain." The captain looked up and saw Willa standing in front of his chair.

"Oh, uh…just thinking."

Willa eyed him curiously then sat down beside him, a small glass filled with water in hand.

"I'm not going to try to pry anything out of you Terry. But just know that if you need someone to talk to or someone to listen, I'm always here."

"Why would you do that for me?"

"I've been told I'm a good listener." She smiled. "Plus, if we're going to fight together, I might as well _try_ to be friends with you."

The captain smiled back. "We got off on the wrong foot Willa." He held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Terry, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Willa, and the pleasure's all mine." She shook his hand.

There was a few seconds of awkward silence after Willa took her hand back before the captain spoke up.

"You know Willa, I've given everybody a nickname in the group, except for you."

"Is it important that everyone has a nickname?"

"Not really. I just realized that."

"Well why don't you work on that? I don't want to be left out." She winked at him in a friendly way.

"Now, we wouldn't want that." He nudged her playfully.

"Willa! You've got to see this!" Philby waved her over to come see something on one of the tables across the room.

Willa stood up, but before leaving the captain, she turned around.

"I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to spit it out." The captain looked up at her, completely confused. "I know that the whole captain thing is a charade, that you're really a nice guy on the inside. I can tell that you're hurting on the inside." Willa stepped closer and lowered the volume of her voice. "Whoever she was, she must have been something special."

"How did you—?"

She placed her hand on his knee and whispered "I can just tell" before going over to where Philby was standing.

The captain sat there in shock. _How had she seen through me so fast? I've only known her for four days._

* * *

The queen eyed him, studying him. Finn couldn't help but feel awkward and out of place. He really liked Amanda, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of Queen Charlene. The more he thought about it, the more he got confused.

Finn was snapped out of his thoughts by the queen clasping her hands together.

"I've got it!" She stood up, facing Finn. "Now let me say all of it before you say no."

"Okay?" Now Finn felt even more confused than before.

"See, here in Florida, I've got a problem. My parents died prematurely at the hands of an assassin, leaving me to be queen at the age of twenty-two. In any other kingdom, this would be okay. But since my parents did not force a marriage upon me, I have no husband and therefore no heir. If I were to die before that happens, the kingdom would go into turmoil, and Maleficent would be able to take over Florida as well."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I'm getting there! So if I let you use my army to fight off Maleficent, you'll surely win. When that happens, you'll be named king, but you'll also have no heir. I am correct in assuming that, right?"

"Yes…"

"And Florida and California are two of the biggest and most powerful kingdoms in the known world…"

"Yeah? So what?"

The queen rolled her eyes. "If they were to somehow merge, they'd be unstoppable."

"How would they merge? They're so far apart! That's impossible!"

"Not physically, Finn." She rolled her eyes again. "With a marriage alliance."

"A—" Finn gulped. "A…marriage alliance?"

"Yes!" The queen slapped a huge smile on her face. "You and I get married! We can _easily_ get two male heirs. The oldest can inherit California, and the younger can inherit Florida. The two would only be merged for a short time! It's a win-win situation for both of us!"

"Are you asking me to marry you, Queen Charlene?"

"I'm proposing an deal. I give you the full support of my army, you marry me and I give you two male heirs and control of both kingdoms until your death."

Finn couldn't believe what was going on. So many thoughts were swirling inside his head.

_Where does that leave my relationship with Amanda? What will happen to her and the others? Do I really want to jump into an arranged marriage like this? There are so many things that could go wrong with that! But having both kingdoms would provide extra security. She does have a point, it kind of is a win-win, but it seems too good to be true._

"So, Prince Finnegan of California, what do you say? Do we have ourselves a deal?"

* * *

**Oh dang, we've got ourselves a real cliffhanger! What do y'all think Finn will do? Does he take Charlene's deal or does he turn her down and stay with Amanda? I guess you'll have to wait and see! **

**Review! I love reading them! :)**


	9. Anything Except My Hand

**Here we are! Chapter number nine! **

**If you've read Dark Passage, I think you'll enjoy this chapter more than the others (spoiler alert!)**

**I'm not going to hold y'all from the story any longer. Time to see what Finn does! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Anything Except My Hand

"So, Prince Finnegan of California, what do you say? Do we have ourselves a deal?"

Finn stared at her blankly. He knew had no other choice. He had to do what was best for the kingdom. This was his first real decision as future king. He knew this was one of many difficult decisions to come.

"Yes."

Finn regretted his decision almost immediately.

* * *

The doors of the sitting room opened and Amanda saw the queen on the arm of Finn.

"I've got great news!" The queen exclaimed excitedly. "There's to be a ball tonight, and all of you will be our honored guests!"

"Why the celebration?" Philby asked. Amanda kept her eyes on Finn, but he wouldn't return her gaze. To her, he looked empty inside. _Oh no. What have you done Finn?_

"Finn and I have come to an agreement! In return for receiving the full support of my army, he and I will join our kingdoms together through marriage."

Amanda felt like she was going to be sick.

For the next half hour or so, Amanda didn't pay much attention to anything. The queen left shortly to start the preparations for the ball. Willa and Philby had talked to Finn for a few minutes, but when Willa stormed off in the middle of the conversation, Philby followed after her. The captain had mumbled something about needing more rum and left, presumably to find some.

That left Amanda and Finn together in the sitting room. The silence haunted them for another half hour or so before Finn finally spoke up.

"Amanda, I…I wanted to say no." He put his head in his hands. "I…I just couldn't. I can't express how sorry I am."

"Don't be sorry." Amanda couldn't lift her gaze off of the floor. Looking at him would be too painful. "You and I both knew that you have to marry somebody with royal blood."

He stifled a laugh. "That was going to be the first thing I changed when I became king."

Amanda turned to him, confusion written all over her face. This was the first time she had heard of this, but Finn continued without looking at her.

"I…I want you to be by my side at all times Amanda. I…I can't do this without you. Any of this."

Amanda felt the tears streaming down her cheeks, but didn't even bother to wipe them away.

"Then why did you agree to marry her?" She could hear the anger in her voice and she hoped he could too.

"It's the only way to get a big enough army to defeat Maleficent." Finn looked up at Amanda for the first time since he entered the room with Queen Charlene about an hour ago. "I'm going to talk her out of it, I promise. I'm not going to marry her. I'll give her whatever she wants, Amanda. Anything except my hand in marriage."

He placed a hand on Amanda's and she immediately drew her hand away.

"You promised her you were going to marry her, Finn." She stood up. "You did what you had to for the good of the kingdom."

Amanda walked over to the door and pulled it open, but stopped herself from leaving. She knew that once she walked out that door, Finn would never be hers again. After her gained his throne, he would marry Queen Charlene and be the king of two powerful kingdoms, and he would forget all about her.

"Amanda, please." Finn pleaded with her one last time.

But Amanda had had enough. She knew it was too good to be true. She shouldn't have put down her barriers for him.

Amanda walked out the door and slammed it shut. Her relationship with Finn was over. Forever.

* * *

"Come on Willa, let me see!" Queen Charlene begged her new friend. "I'm sure you look stunning!"

Willa hesitated before walking out into the queen's bedroom.

"I love it!" She said. Willa was currently wearing one of the queen's dresses for the ball. It was a yellow dress that extended to the floor. Willa could hardly breathe due to the tight corset wrapped around her stomach.

"I can't breathe Charlene."

"Of course you can sweetie! You'd be dead otherwise. Now, we need to find the perfect necklace to top it off." The queen crossed the room to an open drawer full of jewelry.

"This is nice, Charlene, but completely unnecessary."

"Oh nonsense! I'm happy I finally have someone to talk to! And plus, I saw the way that soldier boy looks at you. Trust me, he won't be able to take his eyes off of you tonight."

"You mean Philby? I doubt that."

"Oh please, Willa. Trust me on this one." She found the necklace she was looking for it and placed it around Willa's necklace. "Simply stunning."

There was a knock on the door. The queen went over, opened the door and smiled.

"It's for you, Willa." She turned back to the person at the door. "She looks beautiful!"

Willa walked over to the door and saw Philby standing there in a new Florida military uniform: navy blue with a small golden sun on the pocket. She couldn't help at smile at how great he looked.

"Wow, just wow" was all he said.

"Wow as in good or bad?"

He looked her over one more time, kissed her on the cheek and whispered "great" into her ear. He held out his arm for her to take. "I think it's time we head over to the ball, if that's okay with you."

"Of course." She took his arm. "Thanks Charlene. I'll see you at the ball."

The queen said told her goodbye and went back into her room. Philby started heading down the hall towards the ballroom.

"So I see you've switched teams on me." Willa joked.

Philby looked down at his new uniform. "Oh this? Surprisingly, they didn't have any old royal Californian uniforms." He joked. "I figured wearing this one for the night couldn't hurt."

"So what do you think about Finn getting engaged while we're here?"

"It was smart strategically, but I have a feeling he didn't want to do it."

"Amanda looked devastated, poor thing. I really thought those two would end up together. It's the perfect love story."

Philby raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on! He saved her from being burned at the stake and then when he takes back his throne, they get married and she becomes queen. It's just perfect."

"What about the laws about royalty only marrying royalty?" Philby asked. He was curious about what her answer would be. Since she was technically royalty, this would be a huge obstacle in their relationship if they ever chose to take it to the next step.

"I think it's stupid. I think people should be able to choose who they marry." Philby couldn't help but smile at her answer. He was glad she felt the same way. "I hope Charlene lets Finn out of the deal."

"Why does it have to be her to let him out of the deal?"

"Because he always sticks to his promises. Finn won't back out of the deal because he'll consider that breaking a promise and he couldn't live with himself if he did that." She answered his question in a monotone voice, completely void of emotion.

If Philby didn't know any better, he'd say she was still mad at Finn for the fight they had earlier that day in the sitting room. Philby knew in that moment that Finn's inability to break promises would be his fatal flaw, but he didn't say anything to Willa about it.

"Well let's hope for Amanda's sake that the queen lets him out of the deal."

"One can only hope."

* * *

Amanda didn't want to go to the ball. She didn't want to watch Finn dance around with his new betrothed: the beautiful Queen Charlene. She didn't want to have to pretend like everything was okay when on the inside she was anything _but_ okay.

She also couldn't shake the feeling that she should have seen this coming. It was foolish for her to believe that he wouldn't marry somebody of royal blood. It's the law. _You should have known better Amanda_, she scolded herself_._

The door to her room opening brought her out of her thoughts.

Captain Maybeck stood in the doorway. "Can I come in?"

Amanda nodded and the captain came in and shut the door quietly behind him. He sat down beside her on the bed.

"Did you find any rum?"

He shook his head. "You look like you feel about as crappy as I do right now." Except he didn't say crappy.

"How would you know how I feel?"

"I know what it feels like to have somebody you love ripped away from you." He glanced at Amanda. _Oh my gosh, he remembers me._ She decided to act as if she had no clue.

"You do?"

The captain looked at Amanda skeptically then turned his gaze to the floor. "Yeah."

Amanda almost let out a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was for him to remember her, or worse Jess. She was convinced his life would be better if he had just forgotten about her.

Amanda thought for a second, then realized this had nothing to do with Jess at all, even if he did remember her.

"Is this about Queen Charlene?"

"What would make you think that?" Amanda could see him blushing.

"Oh my! It is about her!"

"Is not." He crossed his arms, like a child pouting.

"Is too!" She poked him. "Don't lie to me!"

He gave her a very intimidating stare that gave Amanda chills up her spine. "You're not going to stop until I tell you, are you?"

"Nope." She crossed her arms, mocking the captain and widened her smile.

"You can be annoying, I hope you realize that."

"Start talking captain."

He glared at her. "I don't think I should—"

"Now."

"Look here missy. I ain't gonna start talking if you're gonna have an attitude about it."

"Fine then. I'll just leave you to drown in your misery then." Amanda stood up and almost made it to the door, before he spoke up.

"Fine! Get back here."

Amanda walked back over and sat back down beside him again.

"Before I became a pirate, there was this girl, and she was…she was something special." He paused before continuing. Amanda figured he was thinking about her. "Then about three years ago, Maleficent's army raided the city and she disappeared."

Amanda had to stop her jaw from dropping to the floor. He _did_ remember Jess.

"And then I thought becoming a pirate, I wouldn't have to worry about it. But then we come here, and I see Queen Charlene. And wow…"

He glanced over at Amanda. "Why are you looking at me like that Amanda? It's creeping me out."

"I…you…and…oh no." She scooted further away from him.

"What?"

"That girl…from your past…who disappeared in the raids…"

"Yeah?"

"That…that was my sister…Jess."

His eyes widened, and she knew that he was starting to remember her.

"I knew I'd seen you before!" He stood up. "Why didn't you say anything before? Where's Jess? Do you know what happened to her?"

Amanda looked down at her hands, trying not to cry. "I know as much as you do. I honestly would rather just not talk about it, if that's okay with you."

He nodded. Amanda could feel a few tears escape her eyes, fleeing down her cheeks.

Before she knew it, the captain pulled her into a hug.

"I miss her too," he whispered into her ear.

He let go of her and she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress.

In the distance, they could hear the sounds of trumpets announcing the arrival of important people inside the ballroom.

"I really don't want to go in there." Amanda sat back down on the bed.

"You really like Shark Fin, don't you?"

She nodded. "I should have known better. He's going to be king. We could never be together."

She could feel him studying her. After a few minutes, he held out his hand to her.

"How about I get the queen away from him for a while and you can say a formal goodbye."

"Are you sure about that? I can tell that you have serious feelings for her. That wouldn't be good for you."

"Eh. I can flirt it up, maybe steal a kiss or two. Then I'll be good. You, on the other hand, need closure."

Amanda studied carefully him for the first time. She could tell that he wasn't going to be okay to lose another girl like this. But she could also tell that he wasn't going to budge on this.

"Fine." She took his hand and got up. Together they walked down to the ballroom. Amanda pushed back the tears and decided that the captain was right: she needed the closure.

* * *

Jess heard footsteps outside the throne room and hurried to hide behind a pillar, pulling her black cape very close to her so that it wouldn't show.

The door opened and Maleficent walked in with the Lady Grimhilde and another woman that Jess had never seen in the castle before.

"With this journal, we'll have the key to unleashing his spirit." The unknown woman said with an accent Jess had never heard before. Jess figured she had to be from one of the island kingdoms. "He'll be in out debt, and we'll be in control of him."

"Where is the journal being held now?" Maleifcent asked her.

"In the royal treasury room." The unknown woman smiled and Jess could see she was missing a tooth. "It will be safe there until we need it."

"When is the time to use it? We can't wait around forever, especially with Prince Finnegan on the move!" Lady Grimhilde said a little bit too loud.

"Soon, my dear. We're waiting on our spies to report to us. We need to know which island kingdom they went to before we can send a team out to kill them."

Jess' eyes went wide. _Maleficent has spies in _all_ of the kingdoms?_

"Do you have any idea of which one he would go to?" The unknown woman asked.

"I believe the kingdom of Florida would be his best bet. That new queen of theirs will be very welcoming to his cause." Maleficent sat down on the throne with both women standing in front of her.

"So what purpose does the journal serve?" Lady Grimhilde asked.

"It'll give us the steps to unleashing his spirit. We cannot do it without the journal." The unknown woman turned toward Maleficent. "We can't wait forever. The sooner the better."

"We'll be doing it soon. Just be patient."

Jess waited and listened to the rest of the conversation, but nothing else seemed to be as important as the first part.

When the room was empty, she hurried to the secret passage behind the throne and ran down to see the _real_ queen.

Upon telling her about the journal, the queen leaned back in her chair. Jess could tell how worried she was.

"My dear nephew." She muttered under her breath.

"What should I do ma'am?"

Jess could see the queen thinking out a plan in her head.

"I'd wait until the news of the prince's location comes." She leaned forward and continued in a whisper. "And then I'd steal the journal and go find him."

* * *

**Jess to the rescue! So what did y'all think? Thanks for all the great reviews so far! Please keep the reviews coming! I love reading them!**


	10. The Perfect Moment Comes Too Late

**First, this story has gotten almost 700 views since I put it up on the 25th. That was SIX days ago! Y'all are seriously awesome. End of story.**

**We've finally hit double digits! Stuff's getting serious guys! Ha! I'm not going to lie, I love this chapter. It took a lot longer to write than I expected, but hey, it happens. I hope y'all enjoy this one! **

* * *

Chapter 10: The Perfect Moment Comes Too Late

The ball would have been impressive to Finn if he wasn't miserable.

After the announcement was made, a lot of people came and congratulated him or asked him questions about the past four years. Finn gave the shortest answers possible, always searching the room for Amanda.

He saw Willa and Philby dancing, clearly enjoying themselves. Finn knew better than to interrupt their moments together.

After searching for her most of the night, Finn gave up. He went over to a small table and grabbed a drink, finishing almost immediately.

Queen Charlene came over and asked him to come dance with her. Before he could object she pulled him out there. The newly betrothed couple being the only ones on the dance floor.

The song started and the queen pulled Finn in close and started a waltz. Finn kept scanning the crowd for Amanda.

"At least look like you're having a good time." She said through a smile.

"Huh? Sorry, what was that?" He focused in on the queen while she was talking.

"I said, at least look like you're having a good time. I'm not going to have you look miserable tonight."

"Sorry, I just—"

"You're obviously hung up over some girl. Here's what I'll say to you. Get over her. This is the best for both kingdoms. As future king, you know you have to put the welfare of your kingdom first. It's the first thing I've learned as queen here in Florida." She looked at him, saw his shocked expression. "Now smile and enjoy yourself!"

Not long after that, more couples joined them on the dance floor.

There was a tap on Finn's shoulder. "May I cut in?"

Finn turned to see his new friend, Captain Maybeck, standing there, and felt a sudden wave of relief.

"Sure thing." Finn let go of Charlene and took a step back.

Before he started dancing with Charlene, the captain leaned in and whispered "she's in the hallway."

* * *

Finn managed to get out of the ballroom with only a few people stopping him to talk. He saw her at the end of the hallway, sitting on a bench placed right in front of a giant window.

He also noticed how beautiful she looked. She wore a full-length white dress with a layer of elegant lace on top, but it complimented her tan skin and dark hair so well. He thought about how now would be the perfect moment for that first kiss.

He sat down next to her on the bench and said nothing for a few minutes.

"Amanda, I—"

"No Finn. Let me talk." She took a deep breath and Finn knew what she was going to say, and he braced himself for it. "I really thought we had something. I truly did. I bought into the fantasy that I could fall for a prince and someday become his princess. All girls believe it at some point, but for me it was almost a reality. I know the laws, but for some reason I thought this was going to be different. It was my mistake, so I want to say that I'm sorry."

Finn saw a few tears escape her eyes and stream down her face and he figured anyone within a certain distance could probably hear his heart breaking.

She wiped the tears away and continued.

"You're going to defeat Maleficent and you'll get married to Queen Charlene. You're going to have the perfect wedding and the perfect wife. You'll get everything anyone could possibly want and you'll be happy. And that's all that matters."

Amanda stood up and started to walk away when Finn let his impulses take over. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward him and kissed her on the lips.

He had expected her to slap him. But instead she kissed him back. And the last thing he wanted was to let go. He wrapped his arms around her waist, she put her arms around his neck, and he knew that there was no stopping this kiss. He couldn't do it. This would be their first and last kiss.

The perfect moment had finally come, but it had come too late.

* * *

"So you're the infamous Captain Maybeck?" The queen asked as the captain twirled her around on the dance floor.

"Ah, so you've heard of me. I must say I'm flattered." He smiled at her.

"Should I be warn the navy of your presence here?" She smiled back.

"Nah. I only go after Maleficent, not pretty ladies with armies."

She laughed, making the captain's heart skip a beat. "Lucky me."

"Can I ask you a random question?"

"I'll tell you anything you want to know captain." She winked.

"Why did you ask Finn for a marriage alliance?"

She thought for a second and then answered. "It seemed like the right thing to do." Captain Maybeck noticed that she didn't seem as enthusiastic about it as she had been when she had announced it earlier that day.

"Looks like you're the perfect queen. Doing what's right and so on."

"Well I don't know about perfect. I'm just doing my best to be the person my parents would have wanted me to be."

"Is that who _you_ want to be? The person your parents would have wanted?"

She hesitated before answering. He knew he had just struck gold. She was questioning the alliance. Maybe she'd call it off. Maybe he had a chance.

"Of course I do!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, like your parents always dreamed of their son growing up to be the captain of a pirate ship!"

"Maybe they did! You don't know!"

"Oh, right. Every parent's dream is to see their kid become a pirate. What a wonderful life you must have. Being what your parents wanted for you must be wonderful." She spat off sarcastically.

"Oh and being the sole ruler of the kingdom isn't wonderful? Don't forget the fact that you're about to be married off to Finn and you'll rule two powerful kingdoms together." He laughed at her. "Yeah, your life must suck Charlie."

Before she could protest, the song ended. The captain bowed to her, kissed her hand and walked away without a word.

Queen Charlene had never felt more confused by a man in her life.

* * *

_"My darling Charlene," her father held out his arms to her, inviting her into a hug. "How are you this fine day, my dear?"_

_"Great daddy!" Four-year old Charlene ran into her father's arm, jumping onto his lap._

_"Now, Charlene, there's something I want you to learn right now. Okay?"_

_"What's that daddy?"_

_"That you can marry whomever you want to marry, as long as you love him."_

_The little girl thought about what her father had said for a second, and then perked up. "I love you daddy. Does that mean we're going to get married?"_

_Her father's laugh echoed throughout the halls of the castle._

_"No my dear. You'll have to get married to a young man your age. And besides, I'm already married to your mother."_

_"What are you doing Elijah?" The queen walked out of the bedroom holding her stomach._

_"Mommy!" Charlene jumped out of her father's arms and ran straight to her mother and hugged her legs._

_"How are you feeling today love?" The king asked his wife._

_"Oh just fine." She held her stomach. "The baby's been kicking, that's all."_

_"Do you need to rest? I can take Charlene out if you'd like some more rest."_

_"No, no I'm fine. I'd like to take my daughter on a walk." She picked up her daughter. "Is that okay with you Charlene?"_

_"Yay!" Charlene waved goodbye to her father as her mother walked her out of the hall and outside to the castle garden._

_"Charlene, dear. I want you to know that if you end up having a baby brother, your father and I will still love you very much."_

_"When's my baby brother getting here?" The little Charlene picked the petals off of a flower._

_"Soon enough dear. But just know that you'll still be very important to us either way. And one day, my sweet, you'll be old enough to marry a fine young man. But I want you to know one thing. Whether you have a baby brother or a baby sister, I promise you can choose who you want to marry. But you must choose wisely."_

_"Mommy, what does wisely mean?" Charlene put down the stem of the flower on the ground, all the petals were lying around it._ _Some blown farther away due to the slight breeze._

_"It means you've got to be smart. Charlene, sweetie, choose a husband that loves you. If you don't, you'll be miserable. And we wouldn't want that."_

_Charlene's mother picked up her daughter and started walking back inside. "I don't even care if he's of royal blood. Marry somebody you truly love. I want my little baby girl to be happy."_

_"I'm not a baby mommy! The baby's right here!" Charlene pointed to her mother's stomach._

* * *

Charlene woke up with a start. She knew deep down in her heart that her parents wouldn't have liked her forcing a marriage alliance on Finn just because she thought he was cute and knew that he had power.

She knew that it wasn't the right thing to do, seeing that he obviously loved this Amanda girl. And Charlene could tell that she was starting to have feelings for the captain.

She knew this was a long, sleepless night ahead of her. She got out of bed and decided to go to the castle garden. She sat in the same spot that she had with her mother during that dream.

She could still feel her mother's presence in the garden. It was her mother's pride and joy. The tears streamed down her face. Charlene couldn't help but wish that her mother was here. She wanted to talk to her, ask her for advice, hug her. Charlene would do anything to have one more day with her parents. But knowing that was impossible, she put her head in her hands and cried.

* * *

While the army was preparing itself to head to California, Finn and the rest of the group stayed at the castle.

And to Finn, the week was about as normal as one could get.

The captain had surprisingly spent most of the week sober. He was almost always with Queen Charlene, helping her out with her day-to-day tasks. Every once in a while, Finn would glance their way and see the two flirting. If Finn had actual feelings for Charlene, he probably would have punched him by now.

But luckily for the captain, Finn was falling more in love with Amanda every passing moment. Finn figured every one knew, but no one had mentioned it. Every chance they got, they would sneak off and spend some time alone. Finn had never been happier in his life. The only thing that could have made it better was if the wedding would be called off, but Finn was working on that.

At least once a day, Dillard and Finn would venture out into the town near the castle and enjoy the city. They had tried all of the local delicacies, explored all of the sites and drank in all of the bars. Finn had even helped Dillard get kisses from a few girls.

Finn only saw Willa and Philby at the big dinners Charlene would hold each night for the "honored guests." They seemed very happy together. Every time Finn saw them together, Finn realized how perfect they were together. The overprotective feelings Finn had first felt for Willa at the beginning of the journey were long gone. He knew that Philby wouldn't dare hurt her and he respected him for it.

They had been staying in Charlene's castle for nine days when word came that Maleficent had forces landing on the other side of the island.

The seven were currently sitting around a large table in the royal dining room. Queen Charlene was sitting at the head of the table, with Finn and the captain on either side of her. On one side of the table, Amanda was squished between Finn and Dillard. On the other side, Willa sat in between Philby and Maybeck. Willa leaned into Philby and he wrapped his arm around her.

The soldier who brought in the news stood there awkwardly while the others sat in silence. Finn felt Amanda grab his hand under the table.

It was Queen Charlene who broke the silence. "Why is she coming here? I'm confused. I thought you were supposed to fight her there."

"I did too." Finn said quietly. He felt Amanda squeeze his hand for reassurance.

Another moment of silence.

"She wants to try to stop you before you have the chance to get to her." Philby answered. "So if she loses, she still has her kingdom. If we lose, she can get control over Florida. It's a win-win for her."

"You don't think Maleficent will come herself?" Amanda asked.

"No, why would she? She's got Finn's kingdom to run." Willa shot a sad look toward Finn. "She hasn't declared war either. I doubt she'll come unless it's absolutely necessary."

"So what do we do?" Dillard asked with a full mouth.

"Should I send out the army to deal with them?" Queen Charlene turned to the soldier. "How many people did she send?"

"My sources say a small number. Somewhere between fifteen and twenty."

"Why such a small number?"

"Probably a team to search the island." Captain Maybeck spoke up. "How big would you say her forces are Finn?"

"They're big." Finn looked down at the food on his plate, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He could still remember the night of the castle raid like it was yesterday.

"And they've been growing over the years." Willa said quietly. Finn could tell she was remembering her time there and saw Philby wrap his arm a little tighter around her out of the corner of his eye.

"So if her forces are so big, why is she sending only fifteen to twenty people?" Dillard asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense to send a lot more than that?"

"It would," Amanda started.

"If you knew where your targets were." Finn finished.

"She doesn't know where we are, so she sends out teams to find us."

"So when she finds us, she can declare war on whatever kingdom for giving us refuge."

"And the whole army comes." Philby chimed in. Another moment of silence.

"We need to intercept them." Willa stopped leaning on Philby and looked at each person before continuing. "It only makes sense. We don't need to involve your army, Charlene, for that would be taken as an act of war, giving Maleficent what she wants. If the seven of us go, we can surely take them by surprise before they can send word."

"That's brilliant Willa!" Philby kissed her on the cheek.

Charlene stood up and clasped her hands together. "Looks like that's settled! We head there in the morning!" She headed over to the soldier, presumably getting the enemy's location from him and as much information as she could on the matter.

And just like that, the seven started preparing for tomorrow's mission. All of them knew that this was the first of many steps to putting Finn back on the throne in the kingdom of California.

* * *

**So...hmm...talk about an interesting chapter. Finn & Charlene are still engaged, but they both have things with other people...will the engagement last? I guess we'll see in chapters to come! **

**And the seven are off to meet Maleficent's little search team. We'll see how that goes in the next chapter. It'll be action packed! Stay tuned! **

**Please review! I love reading them! **


	11. River Escapade Part One

**Ten chapters with almost 800 views! Victory dance! :)**

**I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. It's finally got some good old-fashioned action! I don't know about y'all but I was getting tired of all that romantic stuff. Bleh! **

**And without further adieu, I introduce you to the first river escapade chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11: River Escapade Part One

_The First Night After Leaving the Castle_

_Finn got up and silently walked down to sit by the small campfire. The marriage alliance was still keeping him awake at night. But when Captain Maybeck sat down beside him minutes later, he immediately came up with a plan and relayed it to him._

_"So you want me to flirt it up with the queen?" The captain asked Finn._

_"Yes. If she starts liking someone besides me, she'll realize her mistake and call off the wedding."_

_"Why can't you just man up and tell her you don't want to marry her?"_

_"Because I made a promise to her. I don't want to break it, but if she happens to change her mind—"_

_"Then you get off scotch-free. I see."_

_"And we still get the help of her army."_

_"That's what I call a win-win-win."_

_"I'm pretty sure it's just two wins."_

_"Yeah, two wins for you and one for me. Assuming I get Charlene in the end." He winked at Finn._

_"Sounds like we have ourselves a deal."_

_"You betcha." The captain extended his hand to Finn and he shook it._

* * *

The soldier that brought them the news said the other side of the island would take us three to four days to make it to where Maleficent's soldiers were spotted.

They had no problems until the afternoon on the second day.

They had been walking all day with a short break for lunch. Philby was currently leading the group with Willa by his side. He was wearing the armor that he had been wearing when Finn had first met him and was using his sword to cut branches out of the way. Instead of her usual simple dress, Willa had gotten a pair of pants and a fitted linen shirt, even Finn had to admire she looked stunning.

Charlene and Maybeck were walking behind them talking with the queen's bodyguard that refused to leave her on this mission. Despite knowing that the group would be trekking through the forest, she had put on tight black pants and light blue tank top with a brand new black leather jacket over it.

_Leave it to Charlene to wear the latest fashion while going on a mission_, Finn thought to himself.

Captain Maybeck had gotten a hold of some Floridian armor somehow and was complaining about the "girly" look it had. Charlene had spent most of the day trying to convince him he was wrong—a big mistake on her behalf. The two had been fighting all day, with the captain clearly winning.

Finn and Amanda trailed behind both of them, holding hands. After beginning their journey, Finn had watched as Charlene got closer to the captain. Finn's plan was slowly working, and he couldn't be happier.

That was, until suddenly he heard Willa shriek and Philby yell after her.

Finn rushed to the front of the group and saw that Willa had just tumbled into the river below. Finn figured she must have tripped, fell and Philby never had the chance to catch her.

Finn and Philby shared a quick glance, both knowing exactly what had to be done.

Philby threw off his shirt and dove into the fast-moving current. Finn ran along the side of the river, trying to get in front of her.

Philby surfaced and saw her drifting downstream fast.

"Over there! Hurry!" Philby pointed and yelled to Finn as he swam with the current to get her.

One word Finn would never call Willa is stupid. She was trying her best to grab hold of the many rocks lying in the riverbed. Every time she got a chance, she would scream for help or try to extend her arm toward Finn. All of her attempts, though all of them the logical and somewhat helpful, ended in failure.

Finn could see that Philby was doing his best to catch up, but the current was fighting back, trying to claim two victims.

"Finn!" He turned around to see Charlene jumping up and down, pointing to something downstream. "A WATERFALL!"

Finn looked where Charlene had been pointing and all the color drained from his face. They had about maybe a minute to save Willa or she would go over the waterfall.

Finn ran all the way to the edge of the cliff, where the waterfall was located, and used his sword to cut a large branch from a nearby tree. While he was sawing it off, he kept glancing back at Philby and Willa. Philby was now within reach of Willa and was trying to grab a hold of her.

Finn felt the branch fall off and he immediately placed it just over the water so that Philby and Willa could grab on.

Willa had her back turned to the waterfall, so she couldn't see the branch that Finn had placed in the water. Philby reached out, grabbed her arm, and she turned around just in time for her to crash into the branch so hard that Finn almost let go.

Willa went under the water and Philby immediately went under and resurfaced a few seconds later with her. Finn thought Willa looked unconscious, but decided not to worry about that just yet.

Philby held Willa with his right arm and used his left to pull himself closer to Finn. Once he got close enough, Captain Maybeck took Willa out of his arms and Philby slipped under.

Dillard came over, reached into the water and struggled to pull Philby out. Finn let go of the branch, sending it over the waterfall, and leaned back onto the grass, breathing heavily.

When Finn had gotten his breath back, he went over to see how Willa and Philby were doing.

Willa was shivering due to the cold water, but overall she was fine. Charlene pulled off her jacket and was placing it on Willa's shoulders.

Philby, on the other hand, didn't look so good. Finn never learned anything about the human body and how it should work, but he was pretty sure Philby's left ankle was not supposed to look the way it did. Luckily for Philby, he had passed out.

After a few minutes, Willa made her way over to where Philby was lying and looked at his ankle.

"It's twisted," she said to Finn with a sad look in her eyes. Finn could tell seeing Philby like this was killing her.

"How do we fix it?"

"We untwist it, duh." The captain spat off, but Willa ignored him.

"I'm going to have to pop it back into place. It's going to be very painful for him."

"Good thing he's passed out, right?" Finn asked Willa.

"Yeah. I...I guess so." She positioned herself so that she could pop his ankle back into place. "Somebody should put his shirt in his mouth so that if he wakes up he won't scream."

Without a second thought, Charlene did as Willa suggested.

"Okay, on three. One…two…three…" Willa twisted Philby's ankle and there was an disturbing, popping sound that Finn knew would haunt him in his nightmares tonight.

Philby didn't wake up for another ten minutes or so, but as long as Willa was with him, Finn knew he would be okay.

The group decided spending the night by the riverside was a good idea after their river escapade. They made camp quickly and just after the sun had set everyone had fallen asleep.

* * *

Jess stepped off of the boat and onto the docks. She had never been to Florida before. She pulled her green cape closer to her and walked toward the city. She could see the castle in the distance and wondered whether or not Prince Finnegan was there.

Tied to the belt around her waist was a small leather pouch. Inside this pouch was some money, the small journal she had stolen from Maleficent and a written note. The queen had instructed Jess to give it to the prince upon finding him. Jess had been really curious about what the note said, but she refrained from reading it, for she knew that the prince would know if she had been reading his private things.

She had been walking through the streets, closer and closer to the castle when she looked up and realized there was no royal flag flying.

That either meant one of two things.

One: Maleficent had already taken over. Jess immediately dismissed that, due to the lack of soldiers. And besides, Jess knew Maleficent would have come herself for that. That brought Jess to the second explanation.

Two: The queen was not in the city, which could only mean that she was out with the prince, hopefully headed back to California. But Jess knew that was wishful thinking.

Jess continued on, for she had a strong feeling the prince was in Florida. And she needed to find him before Maleficent's search team did.

* * *

_Lady Isabel walked through the streets of Anaheim. Upon buying himself and his family a royal title, her father had relocated the family to Anaheim, to be closer to the royal family._

_Today, Lady Isabel decided to go to the monastery's library. She needed a new book to read, and her new tutor had told her that the monastery was the best place to look._

_She walked through the streets, trying to blend in with the villagers. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself. But it was hard not to attract a few stares when wearing such an elegant dress. Lady Isabel could feel the cold stares of the people, making her walk faster._

_Lady Isabel unconsciously searched the crowd for a friendly face, not someone she necessarily knew, but someone who would smile at her instead of glaring._

_Right outside of the monastery, she noticed two soldiers walking the streets, probably patrolling. One of them was a young man with red hair._

_He walked over to her and opened the monastery door for her when she reached it._

_"Why thank you soldier. You're too kind." She said while he opened the door for her._

_"Just doing my job, ma'am." He smiled at her and Lady Isabel blushed. The two stared at each for a little bit longer than Lady Isabel figured was necessary._

_"Well I wouldn't want to keep you from your job. I'd better get inside. Thank you again."_

_"It was my pleasure, my lady."_

_Lady Isabel walked through the door with a giant smile on her face. She couldn't help but be happy. It wasn't every day an attractive young man talked to her._

_One of the monks led her to the library and gave her a brief tour._

_One book stuck out over all the others, and she opened it on one of the tables._

_After searching the book for a few minutes, one passage immediately captured Lady Isabel's attention._

"…the uninhabited island is home to an ancient temple. During ancient times, natives of surrounding islands would use this temple on the summer solstice to sacrifice humans to appease the gods. A priest would be elected at the end of the ceremony to stay at the temple for a year, preparing it for next year's celebration…"

_Lady Isabel had never heard of this ancient temple or the island in which the book claimed it was located, but she felt wrapped up into the world of these ancient people._

_After the sun set, a monk politely told her the library was closing. Lady Isabel asked if she could borrow the book for a night or two and the monk agreed._

_That night she used a candle to read it well into the night. Upon finishing reading for the night, Lady Isabel placed the book under her bed._

_Three days later, she'd be taken prisoner by Maleficent._

* * *

Willa awoke with a start. For some reason, she knew that book would be important. She made the mental note to commit that dream to memory.

For the rest of the night, Willa leaned against a tree with Philby's head in her lap. She couldn't sleep. She wouldn't sleep until she figured out why she thought that was important. _An ancient temple, on an uninhabited island…_ Willa searched harder in her memory. She was forgetting something big. For some reason this book was important.

_Ancient temple used for…for human sacrifices once a year…on an uninhabited island…_

What was she forgetting? There had to be something she read in the book. Something was tugging at her, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Then it hit her.

* * *

**Another cliffhanger! Boy I love writing those! Hahaha! Guess y'all get to look forward to river escapade part 2, coming soon! **

**Review, please! I love reading them!**


	12. River Escapade Part Two

**I have to admit this is one of my favorite chapters. Wow, I probably say that way too much...**

**Here we go, the second half of the river escapade!**

* * *

Chapter 12: River Escapade Part Two

Willa remembered two things at that very moment.

One: In the book from the monastery, there was mention of three steps to unleashing the evil spirit that lived on the island. Said evil spirit was under the control of whomever awoke it. The ancient people would use this spirit against their enemies during war. In the later centuries of the ancient peoples' civilization, a priest wrote down the steps in a miniature journal. Which brought Willa to the second thing she remembered.

Two: She was almost positive Maleficent had that journal.

All the information and memories flooded back to Willa at once, causing her to shift suddenly, waking Philby up.

"Willa? Why are you still up? It's the middle of the night." He sat up and leaned on the tree beside her.

"I had a weird dream, and it got me thinking." Willa collected her thoughts before continuing. "What if California was just the beginning for Maleficent?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if she had world domination in mind?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know…just thinking."

Philby reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. "What is it Willa? You can tell me."

Willa told him about the dream and Philby's gaze drifted to the ground, deep in thought.

"What do you think it all means?" He asked her after silently thinking for a few minutes.

"I don't know why, but I _know_ Maleficent took the book from my room. And I'm pretty sure she has that journal, assuming it exists." She paused before continuing. "If what the book says is true, Philby, we're all doomed."

Philby let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

"We'll figure everything out. Don't you worry."

* * *

The next morning wasn't much better for the seven.

The queen's bodyguard and Dillard were the first two up the next morning. Together they went down to the river to get some water, when they heard people talking on the other side.

Dillard couldn't make out what they were saying, but when he caught a glimpse of their clothing, he wanted to scream. It was _them_.

He took a deep breath, turned to the other guy and pointed back to where the others were still sleeping. The bodyguard took one step and a stick broke. Both boys froze and the chatter from across the river stopped abruptly.

"You hear that?" One soldier asked the other.

"What did you hear?"

"There's somebody out there."

Dillard could see out of the corner of his eye that the soldier had pointed in their direction.

"Well what are you going to do about it?"

"We should at least check it out. What if it's them? I don't want to have to go home and be the idiot who has to tell Maleficent we actually didn't search the island. She'll kill us!"

"Right. But how do we cross the river? It's too deep and there's no bridge."

The silence between the two was unsettling to Dillard.

Without warning, two arrows were fired in their direction. One landed right at Dillard's feet, but Dillard didn't look to see where the other one landed for he had already started running back to camp.

"Guys! Wake up! We've got company!" Dillard threw water on the withering fire.

"What's going on?" A sleepy Captain Maybeck asked.

"The search team is on the other side of the river and just shot an arrow at me and –"

That's when it dawned on Dillard what happened to the other arrow and he freaked out some more.

"What do we do?" Charlene asked.

"We need to run! Unless you feel like dying today." The captain spat off.

"No. We came here to fight the search team off. But now that they've found us, we need to fight." Finn stood up, holding his sword in front of him. "Who's with me?"

* * *

Willa, Finn and the captain ran snuck through the trees down toward the riverbank. Upon reaching the riverbank, they found Charlene's bodyguard lying on the ground with a pool of blood underneath.

"Based on the direction of the arrow, it had to come from up there." Willa pointed to the top of the hill on the other side of the river.

"How many do you think will be up there Shark Fin?" The captain asked in a whisper.

"No clue. Let's go find out." Finn searched the river for some way of crossing it. So far, he had nothing. The river's current was still going too fast to swim across. The river was too wide to jump.

He heard the sound of a branch breaking behind him and Finn whipped around to see Willa struggling to hold a large branch up.

"Dude, she's a lot better at this then you." The captain nudged Finn before going to help Willa carry the extra large branch toward the river.

"How are we going to do this Finn?" Willa asked him.

"You don't have a plan?"

"I have a plan, but it's a really bad one. I was hoping you would come up with a better one. You're the leader after all."

"I am not—"

"Don't give me that 'I'm not a leader' crap!" She held up her end of the branch up toward his face and glared at him. "I will use this!"

Finn sized up the branch, then looked out toward the river. A plan formed in his head.

* * *

Philby, Charlene, Amanda and Dillard sat around their camp in silence. Dillard still seemed horrified by the fact that he had just been shot at and Amanda was trying to comfort him.

Philby had tried to make his case to go with Finn. Willa offered the idea that if Philby could stand, he could come with them. But upon standing, he stumbled and fell. _Stupid ankle_. Now Philby was stuck here, waiting for those three to return.

He leaned up against the tree: the leg with the twisted ankle lying straight, the other bent at the knee, with canteen in hand. He couldn't help but worry about Willa. She had taken his sword with her since she had no weapon of her own. He wanted to believe that that would be enough, but he was still worried.

Charlene plopped down next to him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Want a slice of bread?" She held it out to him with a smile on her face.

"No thanks. Not hungry." Philby turned to face the direction of the river.

"She'll be fine, Philbs. Don't worry about her."

"How do you know?"

"Because she's got Finn and Terry with her. They're both really good at fighting and neither wouldn't let anything happen to her."

"I should be out there."

"No you shouldn't. You can't even stand up."

Philby knew he didn't have a good retort to that, so he kept silent.

* * *

Finn held onto the branch with his right arm and inched his way across the river. Willa and the captain were holding it on the other side of the river. The branch didn't extend all of the way across the river, but it was close enough.

When Finn reached the end of the branch, he tied his belt around the tiny branch that extended off the end. Finn summoned all of his strength and swam hard for the shore, with the other end of his belt in hand. Once safe out of the water, he gave a thumbs-up to Willa and tightened his grip on the belt, holding the branch in place.

The original plan had Willa walking across the top of the branch, but she didn't do that. Willa got in the water and swam along just as Finn had, with Philby's sword in her free hand.

Once Finn had helped her out of the water, it was the captain's turn. He had claimed to be the best swimmer and dove in the water, surfacing a few seconds later. He grabbed onto the branch with both hands as Finn and Willa struggled to pull the branch out of the river.

Captain Maybeck stood up, brushed himself off and Finn saw his face drain of color.

Finn and Willa exchanged a confused look before slowly turning around. At the top of the hill, there were three soldiers: two with arrows ready to fire and one with a sword.

Maleficent's search team had found them.

* * *

The queen finally broke the silence. "Hey Philby, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Do you think the marriage alliance was a stupid idea?"

"Stupid? No. It was a very smart move strategically speaking." When Philby saw a frown grow on her face, he continued. "Think about it this way," Philby turned to face her. "You'll be queen of not only Florida, but of California. Your legacy will live on for centuries. You'll have all the finest things and the strongest armies. Nobody will be able to challenge your rule."

"Oh."

"That's not what you wanted to hear, was it?"

"Nope."

"Are you having doubts?"

"Yes." Charlene shook her head. "And no." She put her head in her hands. "It's complicated."

"You like the captain, don't you?"

"Yes."

"But the laws say you need to marry someone of royal blood, so that leaves Finn."

"Those laws are only in California. My parents got rid of that here in Florida."

"Okay...so this really comes down to what you want more: love or security."

Philby watched as Charlene thought it over and let out a sigh.

"Okay, which would you rather: marry Finn and become the most powerful queen the world has ever seen or marry someone else, the captain perhaps, and know that you'll be happy?"

"If this were under different circumstances, I'd pick happiness."

"What other circumstances are there?"

"He's already in love with someone else."

"Who? Finn? We all know that."

"No, Terry."

This was news to Philby. Charlene glanced up at him, saw his shocked expression and let out a small laugh.

"He got his heart broken a long time ago, but he's still hung up over _her._" Philby could hear the jealousy in her voice when saying that last word.

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No. I don't want to hear about her. I can tell he thinks about her when he's with me. If I'm with him, I'll always be his second choice. If I follow through with the marriage alliance, I'll always be the wife Finn was forced to marry. I'll be miserable both ways. What I thought would be a win-win turns out to be a lose-lose."

* * *

Willa saw they were at a standoff with the three soldiers. The soldiers clearly had the high ground, so they were already at a disadvantage. If they took one step, the archers would fire and they would all be dead, like Charlene's bodyguard.

"We just want to talk." Finn let out calmly. "No need to shoot us."

Finn put his sword on the ground and showed the soldiers his empty hands. Willa and Terry did the same.

Willa was worried that the soldiers might recognize Finn. That would be the worst case scenario. Maleficent would have him tortured and killed. The words _"human sacrifice"_ came to mind.

Luckily for Finn, he looked a lot older than he did four years ago. He had grown taller, grown a little facial hair and was skinnier than he was four years ago. He still had the same brown hair and piercing green eyes. According to the story Finn had told her, he had only come in contact with a few of Maleficent's soldiers the night of the castle raid. He had never seen Maleficent herself in person, so how could these soldiers recognize him?

After all, he was declared dead four years ago.

The soldier with the sword slowly walked down the hill and upon reaching them, gave them a quick search. He nodded up to the two archers and they lowered their bows.

"Get up there." The soldier pointed up the hill with his sword. Terry reached down for his sword, but his hand was almost cut off by the soldier. "No weapons."

Willa walked up the hill first, with Finn and Terry following close behind. The soldier picked up their three swords and brought up the rear.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, Willa was relieved to see that the three soldiers were the only ones. They had one medium-sized tent, three horses tied to a tree not too far away and a small campfire blazing.

The two archers ushered the three into the tent, where they sat on the ground. The two archers sat in front of them, with the other soldier standing guard at the entrance.

"State your names." The first archer said with a firm voice.

"I'm Abigail and this is my brother Marcus" Willa nodded toward Finn," and our friend Jacob" she nodded to Terry.

"And what business do you three have here in the woods, Abigail?"

"We were out hunting."

"With swords?" The second archer snorted when he laughed. "What a foolish idea."

"You're obviously not from here." Terry let out a small laugh of his own, mocking the second archer. "We don't use bows and arrows here. There's only small animals to hunt here. They're fast and agile, arrows would be wasted here. We use traps and use the swords to gut them afterwards." A creepy smile crept on his face that gave Willa chills up her spine.

The archers glanced at each other. Willa could tell they had realized they might have just blown their cover.

"So you're natives?" The soldier behind them asked.

"Yes. Born and raised here in Florida." Finn answered.

"Have you ever heard of a Prince Finnegan of California?"

Willa hesitated before answering, pretending to be deep in thought. "Oh I remember him! I heard he was the young prince killed in the raid when Maleficent took over! How long ago was that Marcus?"

"I'd say about four years ago, sis." Willa was so glad Finn caught on quickly.

"What does he have to do with us? I heard the lad's dead!" Terry asked the archers.

"Word has it, he's not." The first archer eyed Finn suspiciously and Willa held her breath.

"Supposedly he's escaped to Florida and is seeking refuge here." The second archer added.

"Is he now? That's the first I've heard that rumor! I'm always out of the loop on this kind of stuff!" Terry threw his hands up in fake frustration.

"Why would he come here? The queen would never want anything to do with an outlaw!" Willa stated with such certainty she almost believed herself.

"Let's hope for your queen's sake that that is true." The soldier with the sword said behind them.

"Stay here. We'll be back in few minutes." The first archer said before the three soldiers left the tent.

"I've got a plan for getting us out of here." Finn whispered after the soldiers had been out of the tent for thirty seconds. "Just follow my lead." Willa and Terry both nodded and the soldiers came in. This time all three of them stood in front of them.

"Looks like we'll let you go. But you have to swear not to tell anyone of our presence here on the island. The last thing we would want is for you three to be the reason Maleficent declares war on Florida." The first archer said with authority in his voice.

Willa almost laughed at his words. If only they knew Prince Finnegan was sitting right in front of them.

"We promise man. Can we go now?" Terry asked. "We're losing daylight here."

"Go. And don't come back." The second archer said firmly.

Finn got up first and ushered the other two out. The soldiers followed them out of the tent, exactly like Finn had hoped.

Finn spotted their swords on the ground near the tent. It was time.

He reached down, grabbed his sword and blindly swung it at the archer directly behind him, slashing across his arm and stomach.

Willa ducked and scrambled to get their swords. Terry turned and punched the second archer in the nose and moved on to the third soldier.

Finn poked his sword into the second archers side, immediately sending blood flying, staining Finn's shirt.

"Terry!" Willa screamed. The captain turned around and grabbed his sword that Willa had thrown at him.

Finn distracted the soldier by challenging him to a duel. The sword fight went back and forth between the two and was rapidly moving around the soldiers' campsite. Finn could see out of the corner of his eyes that Captain Maybeck now had both swords and was making his way behind the soldier Finn was currently fighting. Willa had gotten a hold of one of the bows, getting an arrow ready to fire.

Captain Maybeck came up behind the soldier, and held him in place with a sword at his throat.

"I'd stay still if I were you." The captain pulled the soldier a little closer to him. "I'm not as forgiving as my friends are."

"Let me go!" The soldier screamed as he struggled against the captain.

"How many of them are you?" Finn asked him.

The soldier spat at him and Finn raised his voice. "HOW MANY?"

The soldier struggled for a few more seconds before giving up. "Six."

"Where are they?" Willa asked from behind Finn. He turned and saw her holding an arrow in place, ready to fire it at the soldier if he answered wrong.

"Searching the island in groups of three. Like us."

"Where on the island?" Finn asked. This time he stepped closer to the soldier.

"I don't know." The soldier spat off sarcastically. Finn nodded at the captain. The captain brought up his second sword and jabbed him in the leg. The soldier screamed out in pain.

"I asked you a question soldier. I think for your own safety, you'd better answer it." Finn continued.

"One group headed toward the canyon caves." He let out a deep breath. "The others stayed at the beach."

Finn looked at Willa and she pointed back to the river with her eyes.

"Who are you?" The soldier croaked out.

Finn leaned in toward the soldier to whisper in his ear. "Maleficent's worst nightmare."

The captain took the second sword and hit the soldier on the top of the head with the sword's handle.

Willa untied all of the horses. They saw no use to take them back to their camp because of the river.

With all three soldiers unconscious and wounded, Finn, Willa and Captain Maybeck headed back to their camp.

* * *

Amanda thought she heard some footsteps in the direction of the river and perked up. Finn and the others had been gone an awfully long time and she had started to get worried.

Before she had a chance to worry more, Finn stepped into their camp, soaking wet. Without thinking twice, Amanda ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his free arm around her and squeezed her tight.

When she let go of him, she noticed the blood stained on his shirt. _Oh no. He's hurt. _When she looked up at him with a worried look, Finn let out a small laugh.

"Don't worry, it's not my blood." He led her over to the campfire and sat down.

Terry had already sat down on the opposite side of the fire and was already bragging about their adventures to Charlene, who looked somewhat entertained by them. Dillard helped Philby stand up and walk over to the fire so he could sit down beside Willa.

Finn shared the story of what had _really _happened and Amanda could have cared less about the details. She was just glad he was alive and that the blood on his shirt wasn't his.

"So where do we go next?" Charlene asked Finn. Terry had tried to wrap his arm around her, but she had just scooted farther away. She seemed anxious to Amanda. Finn had told her about his deal with Terry, and Amanda was now worried it wasn't going to work.

"Which is closer? The canyon caves or the beach?" Finn asked in return.

"Canyon caves." Philby and Willa said in unison. Amanda felt like she was the only one to notice Charlene's face drain of color.

"How did you two know that before the queen over here? Shouldn't she know more about her island then you two?" Dillard asked the couple.

Willa shrugged. "I actually paid attention to the geography lessons, unlike Finn." She glanced up at Finn and he threw his hands up in defeat.

"Hey! In my defense, I never thought I'd be trekking through the forests of Florida on the run from Maleficent."

"So how far away are we from the caves?" Amanda asked.

"I'd say a day." Philby answered with a shrug. "It depends on how many more soldiers we run into."

"Well I think we've all earned ourselves a good night's sleep. We can worry about caves and soldiers and all that nonsense in the morning." Terry got up and walked over to where Dillard had left the food. "I say for now, we eat! I'm starving! Somebody didn't let me eat breakfast before going off to fight."

He gave Dillard a cold stare, but it only brought on laughter. Tomorrow might bring more horrors and injuries, but today they were happy, and that's all that mattered.

* * *

**Such a long chapter! It was so good I couldn't find a good place to break it up!**

**kk7: I hope you liked what I did with your request! **

**And don't forget to review! I love reading them! :)**


	13. I'm Not Left-Handed

**Not to rain on anybody's parade, but...thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number. Hmm...what a coincidence!**

* * *

Chapter 13: I'm Not Left-Handed

_Seventeen-year old Charlene sat on her bed with a candle held closely to her face. The dancing shadows from the candle gave her face an eerie look. Next to her on the bed was her thirteen-year old brother. This was one of the many times they would stay up late into the night and exchange scary stories by candlelight._

_"And they never heard from him ever again." Charlene finished, giving one last scary look._

_"You've told me that one before Charlie. Let me tell you one!" Her little brother pleaded. "This one's a true story!"_

_"A scary story that actually happened?" Charlene looked skeptically at her little brother. "Now this, I've got to hear."_

_She handed him the candle and he began._

_"Long ago there was a brave knight who fell in love with the princess. And in order to get her hand in marriage, the king ordered the knight to kill the monster that had been terrorizing the canyon caves and bring back one of its horns."_

_"Terrorizing, huh? That's a big word, Thomas." Charlene joked._

_"Shut up Charlie! I'm telling a story here!" He cleared his throat and continued. "Now once he got there, he found that the monster was a fire-breathing horned dragon. The monster tried to burn him with his fiery mouth many times, but the knight was smarter than the usual opponent. He climbed the walls of the canyon and got on the dragon's back like this—"_

_Thomas got up from the bed, handed Charlene the candle and proceeded to act out the rest of the story on the small ottoman at the foot of Charlene's bed._

_"—and when he got there he thrust his sword into the dragon's back. He thought he had killed the dragon, so he cut off one of the horns and hopped off. He was walking away, when the dragon came back to his senses and breathed enough fire to kill the knight before he had any idea what was going on."_

_Thomas stood up, walked back over to the bed and grabbed the candle from his sister, holding it up to his face for dramatic affect. "And they still say the dragon haunts the canyon caves searching for his missing horn."_

_Charlene looked at her brother's serious face for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter._

_"That's the stupidest scary story I've ever heard! I wasn't even scared!"_

_"You were too! I could tell!"_

_"Was not! It would've been better if you had said that the knight's screams could still be heard in the canyon caves. Just having a dragon with out a horn isn't scary at all." She placed her brother's shoulder. "I know you can do better than that, Thomas."_

_"I didn't make that one up Charlie! I read about it in a book!" He crossed his arms._

_"Oh did you now? What book?"_

_"I…I don't remember the name of it! But believe me! I didn't make it up!" Thomas got off of Charlene's bed and walked over to the door. "I'm going to prove it to you Charlie!"_

The daydream shifts into a nightmare.

_A snake slithering on the dirt path, spooking both horses. Thomas' horse reared on its back legs, sending Thomas flying backwards. His head hit the ground with a sickening _CRACK! _Charlene ran to his side, but it was too late._

_The future king of Florida was dead at thirteen._

* * *

"You okay over there Charlie?" Terry nudged Charlene as she walked, bringing her out of her daydream.

"Huh? Yeah. I'm fine." She smoothed out her shirt nervously.

"You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm just nervous about the canyon caves…that's all."

"I wouldn't be. They're just some stupid caves. What could possibly be there waiting on us? A monster?" He erupted in laughter and Charlene held back tears.

She had felt the same way when her brother had told her that story almost five years ago.

"Oh lighten up Charlie." He nudged her again. "We'll be fine."

"I hope so." She muttered under her breath.

* * *

The trip to the canyon caves went surprisingly well. According to Philby, the canyon caves consisted of twenty-something caves that all served as tunnels to a giant canyon. The caves were dangerous to travel through, so most people didn't even bother.

But since Maleficent's soldiers didn't know any better, Finn decided to set them straight.

Right now, Finn and the others were crouched behind a fallen tree, giving them a perfect view of one of the many entrances. Two soldiers pacing in front of the entrance. To Finn, they both looked worried.

"Where's the third guy?" The captain whispered to Finn.

Willa shushed them, pointing to the soldiers. She cupped her hand around her ear, signaling them to listen.

"—shouldn't have gone in alone."

"He'll be fine. Give him ten more minutes."

"I don't think it was a good idea."

"Oh, you're just a worrier. Sit down and enjoy the beautiful day! He'll be back. You'll see."

There was a loud roar, followed by a blood-curdling scream, coming from the direction of the cave. Both soldiers scrambled for their swords and stared into the cave.

Finn took this opportunity to strike, with the captain right on his tail. Finn swung the hilt, connecting with one soldier's shoulder, causing him to collapse.

The second soldier turned right when the captain reached him, stabbing him in the left shoulder. Charlene shrieked. The captain staggered back a few steps. Finn could have sworn he saw fire in Captain Maybeck's eyes as the captain raised his sword in his left hand to fight again.

The soldier laughed. "How are you going to fight like that?"

Captain Maybeck looked down at his left shoulder, looked back up at the soldier and let out a little laugh.

"What's so funny?" The soldier asked him.

"I know something you don't."

"And what's that?"

"I'm not left-handed." He switched hands and swung the sword at the soldier, disarming him. The captain pinned him to the ground and stabbed him in his right shoulder.

"I guess we're even now."

Finn was so glad that the captain was on his side. After seeing that, Finn made a mental note never to make the captain mad—especially if he had a sword with him.

"Where's the third one?" Willa asked the second soldier. "Did he go inside the cave?"

"One of them did!" The soldier yelled as he reached for his shoulder. Every time he reached, Captain Maybeck swatted his hand away. "He went into the jungle to get some food! We haven't eaten in a day!"

Philby kneeled next to him. "You said one of them. Are you suggesting there's more than three of you?"

"Yes! One more! He went inside the cave!"

Amanda glanced at Finn. Finn knew what they needed to do.

"Leave him captain. Let's go inside."

"What? NO!" Charlene yelled in protest.

"Why not?"

"There's a dragon inside! It'll kill us all!"

"You can't be serious!" Captain Maybeck yelled out. "She can't be serious! Dragons? They don't exist!"

Another loud roar came echoing through the cave.

"What was that?" Dillard was trembling.

"The dragon! I swear!" Charlene looked to be on the verge of tears now.

"What are we going to do Finn?" Willa asked him. She had a worried look on her face.

"Guys…" Philby muttered.

"I say we go in the cave. Surely the seven of us can stop whoever, _or whatever_, is in that canyon." Finn replied.

"Guys…" Philby stood up and pointed back to the forest.

"What the—" Amanda turned around her body stiffened.

Finn saw this and turned around to see the third soldier facing them, bow at the ready.

"Stay where you are!" The soldier yelled.

Finn put his sword away and raised his hands over his head. "Please don't shoot. Let's talk about this." Finn took a step toward him.

"I said stay where you are!"

There was a third roar, leaving a rumbling in the cave. A few small rocks fell.

"Finn, the cave's going to collapse. We have to go in now." Willa said just loud enough for Finn to hear, but not loud enough for the soldier.

Finn put one of his hands behind his back and held up three fingers and took a step back.

"Who are you?" The soldier yelled.

Finn lowered a finger, only two left.

"WHO ARE YOU?"

Finn lowered another finger, one more to go.

"I SAID—"

Finn lowered his last finger and took off, sprinting toward the cave.

Finn heard the soldier yell something and release an arrow in Finn's direction.

The cave rumbled, some more rocks fell and he knew that Willa was right: the cave was going to collapse.

* * *

Philby saw Finn start sprinting to the cave and immediately pulled Willa out of the line of fire.

Amanda took off after Finn, which was no surprise to Philby. It was when the captain took off in his direction that Philby got confused. Dillard and Charlene charged the soldier, trying to get him to stop shooting arrows.

The cave entrance was going to collapse any second. Philby knew what had to be done.

Philby pushed Willa toward Finn, Amanda and the captain. "Go with them!"

"What? Without you? No!" Willa grabbed a hold of his arm. The rumbling in the cave made it impossible to hear anything less than a loud yell.

"Go Willa! I need you to go now!"

"No Philby! Come with me!"

"It'll be alright!"

"But you promised to be there for me!" Tears were streaming down her face, but he knew he had to stay strong. "You promised to protect me!"

"I will! I promise! Meet us at the top of the canyon! Over by the dragon's cove!"

"Dragon's cove?" She asked him.

"Yes!" Philby nodded his head rapidly. "Meet us there as soon as you can!"

"But—" Philby cut her off with a passionate kiss.

The cave rumbled some more and a few rocks fell. Philby ended the kiss.

"I'll be waiting for you at dragon's cove." And with that, he shoved Willa into the cave.

She stumbled, tripped over a few rocks and fell, but Captain Maybeck caught her. Philby ran out of the cave before the falling rocks sealed the cave entrance shut.

Philby turned around and stared at the rocks that now filled in the cave entrance. He turned to see Charlene and Dillard staring at him, with the third soldier unconscious on the ground.

"We're meeting them at dragon's cove."

"You know where that is Philby?" Dillard asked him.

"I don't think we should go there." Charlene was shaking with fear. Philby wasn't sure if that was due to her fight with the soldier or about the dragon that supposedly lived inside the canyon.

"We have to. That's where we're meeting them. The sooner we get there, the better." Philby walked past both of them and headed toward dragon's cove.

* * *

**I had to include the Princess Bride reference! I couldn't help myself! **

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	14. Just Needs A Little Push

Chapter 14: Just Needs a Little Push

Finn watched the cave entrance collapse in on itself. He saw Philby and Willa share one last kiss before he shoved her into the cave. He saw her trip and he saw the captain run and catch her.

He saw it all and stared in shock. He had no idea what to do. The captain helped Willa regain her composure, trying to convince her that Philby, Charlene and Dillard were going to be okay, but she wasn't listening. Finn could see that Willa was treating her recent kiss with Philby as a goodbye.

Finn walked over to the wall of the cave and sat down. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and tried to think of what to do. _We've just been cut off from half of our group_. Finn repeated that line over and over to himself but still couldn't believe it.

He didn't know anything about the canyon caves, but Willa did. That was a plus. They didn't know anything about the loud roar that would cause the cave to shake every few minutes. Maybe Charlene was right. Maybe there was a dragon in the canyon.

Amanda sat down beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Philby told Willa to meet them at the dragon's cove." Amanda placed her hand on top of Finn's, causing his heart to flutter. "She says she knows how to get there."

"That's good. We should leave whenever they're ready."

"Yeah." Finn glanced down at Amanda and for the first time he saw how worried she looked. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He asked her in a whisper just before kissing her forehead.

"Nothing."

"Hey," Finn nudged her head with his shoulder and she picked it up. He used his hand to grab her hand so that she was looking at him. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him with a sad look. Finn thought she looked sick. "What if the plan doesn't work and you have to marry Charlene?"

"Don't you worry about that. We need to focus on getting out of the canyon caves first." He gave her a warm smile, in attempt to cheer her up. When it didn't work he continued. "I'm not going to marry her, Amanda."

She didn't say anything. He kissed her on the cheek and stood up, extending a hand to help her up.

"Ready to go?" Finn asked the captain and Willa.

"It's about time the lovebirds stop their love fest." The captain retorted. "There's only one way to go, so let's hurry up and get out of here. I'm tired of this place already."

They walked for hours upon hours before they finally reached the end of the tunnel and stepped out into the canyon.

The canyon looked as if someone had taken a mountain and split it open. The cave the four had just walked out of led to the bottom of the canyon, a good five hundred feet below the surface. There were many holes in the walls, which Finn figured were other cave entrances. Only three of them lined the canyon floor.

The canyon seemed to extend forever. For a split second Finn thought they would be stuck here for a long time, but he quickly pushed that thought away.

"Dragon's cove is that way." Willa pointed to their left. "It's got to be about a mile or two in that direction."

Without another word, Willa trudged off in that direction, with the captain close behind. Finn couldn't help but notice the two had become over their journey and felt a pinch of jealousy.

The feeling of jealousy was swept away by Amanda grabbing his hand and dragging him behind her.

* * *

"So tell me Terry, do you believe what Charlene was saying about the dragon?" Willa asked the captain. Finn and Amanda trailed behind them, which Willa planned to use to her full advantage.

"Dragons can't possible be real. They're the stuff of legends. She's lost it."

"I wouldn't tell her that."

"I wouldn't tell that to her face, Wills. Geez! Do you think I'm suicidal?"

"Wills, eh?" Willa nudged the captain. "Is that my nickname?"

Terry thought about it for a second then nodded. "Yup. Wills suits you."

"I like it." She continued on in silence, trying to figure out the best way to ask her question.

Terry raised an eyebrow at her. "Anything else you want to ask me Wills?"

"What was the girl like?"

"What girl?"

"The girl that you loved before we all met. The one you still love deep down in that big heart of yours." She poked him right in the middle of his chest to emphasize her point.

"You mean Jess? She…she was something special."

"Maybe talking about it will get you closure."

"I guess. What do you want me to say about her?"

"How about…when you first met?"

"Oh that one's simple. I wasn't looking and ran into her. She dropped all of the food in her arms. She laughed at me and I offered to buy her some more food. And...yeah, that's how it started. I'll spare you the boring details."

"I doubt they're boring." She nudged him. "How long were you two together?"

Terry looked down, counting their time together on his fingers.

"I'd say about six weeks."

"Six weeks? That's not very long."

"Yeah, I know, but she left me too soon."

"What do you mean by that?"

"'Bout three years ago, Maleficent led a raid on our town and Jess disappeared during it."

"Did they ever find her?"

"No."

"That's so tragic. Terry, that must be hard to deal with, not knowing what happened to her."

"Yeah." He kicked a rock by his foot. "I've come to peace with it though. I've just accepted the fact that I'll never find her."

"You just stopped looking? What if she needs you?"

"She's got to be dead. _You're_ the only one that Maleficent's ever spared in a raid."

Willa nodded without a word. She knew it was true. Maleficent wasn't one for mercy.

Without warning the entire canyon shook. A few seconds later, it shook again. To Willa, it sounded like a giant was stepping into the canyon. She saw a shadow appear around the corner of the canyon.

The canyon continued to shake every few seconds. Willa tried her best to continue standing, but when the beast rounded the corner, she fell onto her rear with terror.

Before them, about four hundred feet away, was a large, fiery red dragon with a dull yellow underbelly. It had two horns, but one had been chopped at an awkward angle. Willa guessed it had to be at least fifty feet tall.

"Dang! Charlene was right about the bloody dragon." Except the captain didn't say dang.

* * *

Finn's eyes widened. There was a fifty-foot tall dragon in front of him. Finn inched his way over to Willa and Captain Maybeck, dragging Amanda with him.

"Willa, do you know how to kill a dragon?" He whispered to her.

"Well since I didn't know dragons existed until about thirty seconds ago, I'd say no."

"Your sarcasm is deeply appreciated Wills, but we need to come up with something, and…fast!" The captain pointed to the dragon, who was now looking in their direction.

"Follow me!" Amanda sprinted off to the other side of the canyon, where there was another cave.

Finn took off running, hoping that Willa and the captain would be right behind him.

Amanda stood at the entrance, urging them to hurry. Once all three had made it, Finn pulled Amanda by her arm and held her behind him, shielding her from whatever the dragon had to offer.

The dragon raised its head and unleashed flames onto the canyon floor, luckily the cave kept the four from getting burned.

"It's a freaking fire-breather?" The captain yelled out, probably a little bit too loud.

"We've got to kill it somehow!" Willa yelled toward Finn.

The captain replied before Finn could. "No duh, Wills. But how?"

"Stab him with your sword!"

"All in favor of Finn doing it, raise your right hand!" The captain, Willa, and to Finn's surprise, Amanda, all raised their right hands.

"Oh thanks guys." Finn turned around to look at the dragon, then noticed something behind him.

"Guys, I'm going to need all of you to make a run for it. You can climb the canyon walls and get to another entrance higher up."

"But dragon's cove is further down! We're not there yet! The dragon's blocking our way!" Willa protested.

"How much farther?"

"Uh…probably just around the corner there, in the direction the dragon came from."

"Okay, you three head that way and take off. Don't wait for me."

"But Finn! We can't just leave you to fight the dragon all by yourself!" Amanda pleaded with him. "What if something happens to you? Our whole mission will be a failure!"

"Then get Willa to take my place. She's better qualified anyway." Finn noticed Willa's eyes grow wide in shock, but ignored it. "I'm going to try and distract it by making it go the opposite way of you three, so when I get him far enough away, make a run for it."

The captain and Willa nodded and headed toward the entrance to get a good spot to watch for the perfect moment to make a run for it.

"Please Finn, let me help you." Amanda placed a hand on his arm.

"No, Amanda. I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you."

"How do you think _I_ feel?"

"I'll meet you at dragon's cove, like I said."

Amanda studied him. "How come I don't believe you?"

"I'll be there." He kissed her on the forehead. "I promise."

And with that Finn ran out of the cave to face the dragon.

* * *

At first, the dragon didn't notice Finn, which he worked to his advantage. He ran underneath it and stabbed each of his legs a few different times. None of the stabs cut that deep, but Finn knew the dragon felt every one. Before the dragon realized what was going on, Finn took off running in the opposite direction of dragon's cove.

Finn sprinted along the edge of the canyon. The dragon walked slowly behind him, the canyon trembling with its every step. Every few seconds, it would breathe fire in Finn's direction, but Finn would hide behind a large rock every time, barely escaping the flames.

Finn knew he couldn't keep this up forever, sooner or later he wouldn't be able to make it in time and would be engulfed in flames.

He kept this up for another three minutes or so when that time came. He heard the flames headed toward him. He searched frantically for a rock to hide behind. When he saw none, he panicked. Before the flames could reach him, he was hit by something unseen and flew ten feet. Finn slammed onto the canyon floor and immediately blacked out.

* * *

Amanda and Terry followed Willa to dragon's cove. Every once in a while, Amanda would look back to see Finn running from the dragon, sword in hand. She couldn't deal with herself if he didn't make it. She could have been with him, she _should_ be with him now.

Willa stopped suddenly, causing both Terry and Amanda to run into her.

"What's up Wills? We've got to keep going!" Terry yelled at her.

"We're here." She pointed up to a cave about forty feet up the wall.

"How the heck are we supposed to get up there?"

"We're going to have to climb."

"How?"

"The wall's not completely smooth. It'll be easy." She placed her bow over her shoulder and reached up, grabbing an indentation in the wall with her hand.

While Willa started heading up, Amanda was staring back at Finn. He had rounded the corner and drawn the dragon with him, buying them enough time to escape. But Amanda was convinced that he was going to be able to make it out alive without help.

_Help that only you can give._

Amanda's face lit up. She knew exactly what to do.

She grabbed Terry by the arm. "I'm going to help Finn. Don't wait on me."

"What? No!" Amanda tried to let go, but Terry held on. "Are you INSANE?"

"I can help him! Just head up there with Willa!"

"No you can't go Amanda! It's a suicide mission!"

"I have to help—" Amanda's stomach cramped up, shooting pain throughout her whole body. She let a quick scream escape her mouth.

"Whoa! You okay?"

"Yes! I have to go now!" She pushed Terry and started running toward Finn and the dragon.

"Amanda!" Terry yelled after her, but Amanda was too far away to care.

* * *

Amanda ran as fast as she could, but as soon as the dragon came into view, she hid behind the nearest rock. She had to time this perfectly so that she didn't hurt Finn as well.

She watched as the dragon reared its head back and sprouted flames in Finn's direction. For a second Amanda felt her heart sink into her stomach when she lost sight of Finn. But that second ended and Finn jumped out from behind a rock and continued running further away from the dragon.

She waited for the dragon to rear its head back again, before standing out in the open. She closed her eyes, focused in on the dragon and extended her arms slowly.

The dragon slowly wobbled and lifted off the ground for a few seconds before flying a few feet and crashing into the canyon wall. Amanda suddenly felt zapped of energy, but forced herself to stand.

Amanda lost sight of Finn again, but while the dragon laid on the ground unmoving, she did her best to move in his direction.

She made it around the dragon when she saw Finn lying on the ground unconscious about twenty feet from her.

Without warning, she threw up. Amanda knew she had been feeling sick all morning, but this had come so quick she didn't have any time to respond. She slowly made her way over to Finn. She knelt down and tried to check his pulse.

But her exhaustion got the best of her and she passed out.

* * *

"What do you mean they're gone?" Willa yelled at Terry.

"I mean, she flipped out and ran after him. You heard the big crash!"

"They can't be dead! I refuse to believe it!"

"I didn't say they were _dead_! I said they were gone, as in NOT HERE!"

"Why did you let her go after him?"

"It's not like I encouraged her to do it! She shoved me out of the way and ran after him. I had no choice!"

"You're useless!" Willa threw up her hands in frustration and started walking away from him. Terry had no choice but to follow in silence.

Willa and Terry made it all the way to the cave entrance without saying another word.

They walked out into the daylight and saw three figures emerge from the forest.

"Willa? Captain?" Willa would have recognized that voice anywhere.

"Philby!" Willa ran toward him and jumped into his arms. She buried her head into the crook of his neck. Philby grabbed onto her and held on tight.

"Where are Finn and Amanda?" Dillard asked Terry.

Terry and Willa exchanged a look. Telling them wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

Finn slowly sat up. His head felt like it weighed a ton. It was dusk. _I must have been out for hours. _

His thought the small amount of sunlight was playing tricks on him. He could have sworn nobody was with him when he knocked out, but yet there was someone lying unconscious near him.

Finn forced himself up onto his elbows and slowly pushed himself up. He sat there for a second to collect his strength before rolling the unconscious person over. His heart sank deep into his chest when he saw who it was.

_Amanda._

* * *

**Uh oh! Is Amanda okay? Will the group reunite? I guess you'll have to wait and find out!**

**Don't worry, I'll update as soon as I can. **

**And don't forget to review! I love to read them! :)**


	15. This Changes Everything

**Sorry it took me so long to update! Busy busy day these Friday's are!**

**1100+ views! Oh my goodness gracious! Y'all are obviously the best. End of story.**

**Time to be honest, I had a little trouble writing this one. I had it written one way, and then upon thinking about it, better ideas came to mind and I rewrote the entire thing. I hope y'all like it. You should take this chapter's title literally. Even though this chapter only focuses on Amanda & Finn, it literally will change everything. **

**I don't want to give anything away. Happy reading!**

* * *

Chapter 15: This Changes Everything

_In the middle of the jungle, the wooden cart looks out of place. Right now it is not moving, for there is no driver. In the back of the cart are two men lying down on their backs. But they're not moving. Are they sleeping or are they dead?_

_The first has red hair and is wearing the old Californian royal armor. The tear in his shirt underneath his breastplate reveals part of a tattoo: the tattoo all royal soldiers received in the times before Maleficent._

_The second has dark skin and black hair. He is wearing a different kind of armor, not Californian. Maybe Floridian? He has no tattoo, but there is some kind of mark on his ankle: the mark of a pirate. What is a pirate doing in Floridian armor? Why does he seem so familiar? _

_Neither soldiers have any kind of weapons, which seems odd._

* * *

Jess wakes up and immediately reaches for the journal she bought in the city. She opens up to a new page and draws the picture she just saw in her dream.

She hadn't had any dreams like this in since her first few weeks at Maleficent's court. But once she got to Florida, the dreams came back at full force. She had bought a small journal to draw them out in. So far had about five.

The only people she had recognized in her dreams so far were Prince Finnegan and Lady Isabel. So far there were three other people included in them, one woman and two men.

She stared at the picture and immediately recognized the second man: it was Terry. And he was dead in her dream.

She didn't know where this would take place, but she knew that she needed to find him. She had to see him one last time before he died.

* * *

"Come on Amanda, wake up." Finn said as he propped her up against the canyon wall. After moving Amanda out of the way, Finn saw the dead dragon, but he didn't care. Amanda was all that mattered to him.

She was still breathing, which was a good sign. But she wouldn't wake up.

"Come on Amanda…I need you to wake up sweetheart."

Finn was confused by why Amanda was even here. Hadn't he left her with Willa and Captain Maybeck? Where were they? How did the dragon die? Finn knew he didn't kill it.

Then it dawned on him. _Amanda did this._

He remembered the first day he had spent with Amanda and Dillard. She had pushed both Dillard and Finn ten feet without touching them. Finn had called her their secret weapon. He had almost forgotten all about that. She had to have done that. There was no way she could have killed the dragon otherwise.

Amanda had saved his life and now she was unconscious.

Finn's voice cracked, a few tears streaming down his cheek. "Come on Amanda. Wake up. Please."

* * *

She heard a voice calling her name, but she couldn't make much sense of it.

But it was the please that caught her attention. She could hear whomever was talking to her crying. She felt someone holding her hand. She could hear and feel things, but couldn't see. This weird state Amanda was currently in confused her immensely.

It was the second she realized she was unconscious that she woke up.

Finn was kneeling next to her, holding her hand, murmuring something about how all of this was his fault, his gaze on the dead dragon twenty feet away.

Amanda summoned a lot of strength to pick up her other hand to wipe a stray tear off of his cheek.

He looked over at her and a warm smile dawned on his face.

"Amanda!" He wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Oh thank goodness you're alive!"

"Can't…breathe."

"Oh sorry." He released her. "How are you feeling?"

Amanda took a deep breath and immediately felt nauseated. She held her stomach, closed her eyes and took another deep breath, trying to avoid throwing up in front of Finn.

"I'll take that as a no." Finn joked. When Amanda's face continued to stay sour, Finn's concern dawned on his face. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "You don't have a fever."

She could tell he was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. But she didn't care at the current moment.

"Are we going to have to sleep here next to the dead dragon?" She gave him a weak smile.

He helped her up and wrapped his arm around her waist to help her walk.

"Nope. I think we've had enough of that dragon for one day." He helped her walked a few steps. "Thanks, by the way, for saving my life." He kissed her on the cheek.

They kept walking until Amanda couldn't handle it anymore.

* * *

Finn sat on the cave floor and leaned his head back. Amanda was lying with her head against his chest and his arms wrapped around her. She had fallen asleep a long time ago but his mind was still racing. Things were already hard enough for them, the last thing they needed was Amanda to be sick. She had told him during their walk that she had felt sick all day, but that didn't make him feel any better.

Had she caught some kind of illness? He couldn't help her out here. They had no medicine. Even if they did, Finn wouldn't know what to do with it. Maybe Amanda had just eaten something bad. She was, after all, constantly holding her stomach.

At first, he had assumed she was just feeling nauseous, but now he was thinking it was something differently entirely.

He looked down at Amanda and a random thought popped into his head that he couldn't shake. What if his suspicions were right?

_What if? No, it couldn't be! When had—oh crap. Stupid ball! I should have thought about this! This changes everything._

* * *

The next morning, Amanda and Finn had made it out of the cave tunnel and somehow found their way to the beach.

Amanda slipped off her shoes and ran into the waves, going almost knee-deep. Finn stood at the edge of the water and watched her. He couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was. She had told him she was feeling better today, but he hadn't asked her any questions. He didn't want her to confirm his suspicions.

He didn't know where the others were, but he figured they were headed this way. The first trio of Maleficent's soldiers had told them that some of the soldiers had stayed at the beach. It was only a matter of walking along the shoreline before Finn and Amanda found them. Finn knew that Willa and Philby would be able to get here, so it was only a matter of time before they all met up again.

Amanda walked back to him. "This place is so beautiful."

He laughed. "You act like you've never been to a beach."

She lowered her head, like one does when ashamed. "That's because I've never been."

"Never?"

"Never."

"Well it's settled then." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "We're going to _have_ to stay here overnight! You have to see the beach at night. All the stars, the sound of the waves…pure magic."

"Sounds wonderful." She places both of her hands on his shoulders. "But we have those other soldiers to get rid."

Finn made sure to show his disappointment on his face. For once he wanted one day where he could just enjoy himself. But he knew Amanda was right.

"Fine. Which way would you suggest we go Miss Party Pooper?"

She glared at him before looking both ways. She then looked back at him and shrugged.

"I don't know! You're the future king." She poked him square in the chest. "You choose."

Finn dramatically rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll choose. That way." He pointed to his left. "Shall we?" He held out his arm for her to take.

"You're not going to call me Miss Party Pooper one second and then expect me to swoon over your cheesy romantic one-liners the next." She walked past him and kept going in the direction Finn had pointed.

* * *

Finn and Amanda walked for a good solid hour before they saw two people camped out on the beach.

Finn recognized them and immediately ran toward the jungle and hid behind a tree, dragging Amanda with him.

"What was that all about?" She scolded him loudly.

He shushed her. "Maleficent's guards," he whispered.

Amanda poked her head out from behind the tree, saw the soldiers and immediately turned back to Finn, continuing their conversation in hushed tones. "What do we do?"

"We have to get rid of them! If they send word to Maleficent about us, we're done for."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Do you think you could unleash your secret weapon on them?"

Amanda thought about it for a minute and nodded. "I think so."

"Alright then. If they just happened to land in the water, or hit their head on a rock, I'd be fine either way." Finn smirked at her.

Amanda rolled her eyes and faced the soldiers. There were two. Finn came up behind her, protectively placing one arm around her back.

"Why are there only two? I thought there were supposed to be three." Amanda whispered to Finn.

"The soldiers at the canyon caves said there were four with them. That only leaves two here."

He looked down at her to see that she was giving him a blank stare. "Finn, we didn't find the fourth soldier."

"The dragon probably got him," he reassured her. "Let's just get rid of these two."

He looked back up and saw both of the soldiers lying on the ground. There was a young woman in a long, green cape standing over both of them with a small dagger in her hand, blood dripping off of the blade.

Finn drew his sword and walked slowly toward the woman. "Who are you?" He yelled.

The young woman slowly turned to him and her eyes grew wide. "You're…you're him!"

"Answer my question!"

"I…I bring news from your aunt."

"My aunt's dead. Answer my question!" He was now only a few feet away. If she made any sudden movements, he would be able to strike.

She rolled her eyes and removed the hood from her head, revealing her raven black hair and pale face. "I am Jessica Lockhart. Your aunt sent me to find you before Maleficent did."

Amanda gasped. "Jess?"

Jessica looked past Finn and saw Amanda and her face melted, tears building up in her eyes. "Amanda?"

Amanda ran past Finn and gave Jessica a hug. Finn lowered his sword, but was more confused now than he had ever been. _My aunt's not alive. There's no way! _

Amanda pulled out of the hug, holding Jessica at arm's length.

"I can't believe you're alive after all the time! You've got to tell me everything! You dyed your hair, I love it! Oh, will Terry be excited to see you!" She gave her another quick hug.

This time Jessica held Amanda at arm's length. "Did you just say Terry?"

"Yes. You remember him right?"

"Is he here?" It might have just been Finn, but he thought Jessica's face had paled even more upon the mentioning of Captain Maybeck.

"Not here, but he's been helping us get Finn his throne back."

Jessica looked between Amanda and Finn before walking up to Finn. She curtsied in front of him. "Prince Finnegan, it's an honor to finally meet you. I would have bowed upon first seeing you, but you were threatening me with your sword. It didn't seem appropriate."

"Uh…sorry about that." Finn said awkwardly. "You said something about my aunt?"

"She asked me to give you this." Jessica pulled out a small leather bag and rummaged through it. Eventually she pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Finn. "This is for you. It's from her."

Finn took it, but didn't open it.

"Amanda told me you were taken by Maleficent. How do I know I can trust you?"

"Finn!" Amanda yelled.

"No, Amanda. It's a fair question." Jessica said without breaking eye contact with Finn. "Read the letter. It'll explain everything."

Finn eyed her suspiciously, but opened the letter anyway.

_My dearest nephew Finn,_

_I know these past four years have been hard on you. I'm guessing you don't want to take the throne. You feel like it's too much responsibility. But it _must_ be taken from Maleficent _now—_before she has the opportunity to do something that might possibly be the end of all life as we know it. _

_I know you have many questions, and I promise to answer them all. But for now, you must let Jess help you. She knows more a lot Maleficent's ways. I know the last thing you want to do is trust someone in Maleficent's court, but she's been working for me the entire time. She _can_ be trusted. I promise to answer all of your questions when Jess brings you to me. _

_I love you very much and hope to see you soon._

_Your loving aunt, Wanda._

Finn closed the letter and put it back in its envelope.

"You're a member of Maleficent's court?" He asked Jessica.

"Yes."

"And you've been working for my aunt all these years?"

"She was the one who brought me to Maleficent's court in the first place."

"Where is she hiding?"

"A secret room underneath the throne room."

Finn knew exactly which room she was talking about. The only people who knew about this room beside his aunt and himself were his grandfather and parents, but they were all dead. He knew that if she knew about this, she had to have talked to his aunt at some point. He decided to test this.

"Alright, Jess." He took a step towards him. "If you really are who you claim to be, my aunt would have told you something that only she knows, so that I know to trust you."

"She did."

"And that is?"

"You have a sister, and she's alive."

Finn extended a hand toward Jess and smiled. "Looks like you're joining the resistance."

"Psh. I started your stupid resistance movement." She spat off sarcastically and shook his hand. "We should get moving before these two come to their senses."

* * *

"Please hurry Lady Grimhilde. We don't have all the time in the world!" Maleficent yelled toward her ally. Lady Grimhilde, known to the public as the "Evil Queen," was currently slaving away over a giant cauldron, concocting a potion.

"You cannot rush magic my dear. This potion takes time. We want it to work correctly, do we not?"

"Yes, yes we do. But how much longer will you need? The summer solstice is fast approaching and I just _know_ Prince Finnegan and his little street rat army will be at the island waiting for us. We need to be able to defend ourselves against them."

"Don't worry my dear, this potion will surely get rid of them."

"How much of this potion are you making? We need at least one of them alive for the sacrifice."

"I only have time to make enough for two. _Somebody's been rushing me._"

"Good. Two is all we need. I can handle the others while Tia Dalma performs the sacrifice. After that, we won't have to worry about them. They'll all be dead."

* * *

**Oh dang! Lots of unanswered questions there. Looks like I'll just ****_have_**** to write a couple of more chapters and fill y'all in :P**

**Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up quicker than I had this one up. I hope y'all enjoyed this one! **

**Please review! I love reading them! I also want to know what y'all think of the story so far! **


	16. It's Time

**First and foremost, thanks for all the great reviews! Y'all are too kind! **

**I didn't realize this when I wrote it, but **PrincessWilla101** pointed this out to me. The way I described the canyon cave monster just happens to be very similar to Mushu from Mulan. I honestly didn't plan that one. Talk about coincidence! **

**(I guess once a Disney fan, always a Disney fan.)**

**What isn't a coincidence though, are the Princess Bride references. Every time I think of medieval stuff now, I think of Princess Bride (or Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but I haven't purposely referenced that one yet). I can't help myself when I write them in. The movie quotes are just ****_too_**** good not to use!**

**So here we are, chapter sixteen! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 16: It's Time

_Two Days Later_

Captain Maybeck slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes. His whole body itched,_ stupid sand._ He sat up and saw, for the first time, that Charlene was lying right next to him. He noticed her shivering, so he took off his own jacket and placed it on top of her.

The captain got up and stretched. He saw that Dillard had fallen asleep on guard duty sometime in the night, but wasn't surprised. Dillard hadn't slept since they left Finn and Amanda in the canyon caves. The poor lad wouldn't accept that both of them were probably dead.

He walked over toward the slowly dwindling fire. He grabbed a canteen and drank some water. He saw Philby fast asleep with Willa in his arms. _Poor Wills,_ he thought, _now she's got the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders now that Shark Fin's gone._

The captain put the canteen down and his gaze lingered down the beach. It was just after sunrise. It was his favorite time of day at the beach. It wasn't too hot yet, the view was beautiful, and the breeze was light.

It had been two days since the incident at the canyon caves. Willa had suggested back at the canyon caves that we should look for Finn and Amanda. But Philby had tried to reassure her that if the couple was in fact alive, that they would head to the beach too. Willa was now refusing to leave the beach until they had some kind of confirmation that the couple was either alive or dead.

Then, as if by magic, three figures appeared in the distance. The captain couldn't really tell who they were, but his gut told me they were the other soldiers they had yet to find. _But didn't Philby say there would only be two?_

The captain ran back over and nudged Philby.

"Dude, wake up!"

"Huh? Maybeck? Go away." Philby shoved the captain away from him.

"There's three people headed our way man. I need backup!"

"What are you talking about?" Philby got to a sitting position without waking Willa up and looked in the direction the captain was pointing. His eyes grew wide. "Who are they?"

"No clue, but it can't be good." The captain found his sword and motioned Philby to do the same. "Let's go introduce them to the beach party."

Philby and the captain started walking toward the trio, swords in hand.

When they got close enough, the captain decided it was time to talk to them. He still couldn't tell what they looked like. The sun was rising behind them, making their faces dark silhouettes.

"Hey! What are you doing out here at this hour?"

The trio exchanged looks. Then a male voice yelled out.

"Captain? Is that you?"

That answer confused the captain. _Who of my crew knows I'm here?_ He decided to play off of that answer. He needed to know who these three were. Now.

"Yes it is. Who are you?"

The trio kept walking forward, Philby tensed up, preparing himself for a fight.

"I'm a little hurt you didn't recognize me, captain." The trio got close enough for the captain and Philby to see their faces. It was Finn, sure enough. With him he had Amanda and…_Jess?_

Philby placed his sword back in his belt and hugged Finn.

"Nice to see you two aren't dead."

"Right back at you." Amanda let out a laugh as Philby hugged her too.

"Everybody's going to be so excited to see you two!"

The captain couldn't help but stare at Jess. He hadn't seen her in three years and here she is. She had black hair instead of her usual strawberry blonde, but she still looked beautiful.

"Terry?" She asked, stepping toward him.

"You're…you're alive?" _Real smooth there Terry_.

She didn't respond. She ran into his arms, holding onto him tight. He still couldn't comprehend the fact that she was alive.

Finn coughed and the two let go of each other.

"So, Philby, this is Jess. Jess, Philby." Jess held out her hand and Philby shook it.

"So you're Amanda's sister?" He asked and she nodded. "You're the one who's been in Maleficent's court all this time working for Finn's aunt?" The captain turned to Philby in surprise. This was news to him.

"Yes, which brings me to the real reason I'm here." Finn and Amanda's expressions turned sour. _This can't be good._

"Which is?" The captain asked.

"I…I think we should tell everybody at once." Amanda motioned toward Dillard, Charlene and Willa, who were still sleeping by the fire.

"I'll go wake them up. We can talk over breakfast." Philby scurried over to wake everyone up, with Finn and Amanda following not far behind.

That left the captain with Jess.

"How are you alive right now? You disappeared in the raid! That always means that you've –"

"Died. Yeah, I know." She studied him for a second then turned her gaze toward the sand. "I haven't been completely truthful with you Terry."

"What do you mean?"

"I was targeted by Maleficent, but the queen got to me first."

"And by the queen, you mean Finn's aunt? I thought she was dead!"

"I did too! But she told me about Maleficent's plans for me and offered me a way out. I've been her eyes and ears inside the court for the past three years. I know exactly what Maleficent has got planned."

Terry was still in shock. _Jess was targeted by Maleficent? She's just your average girl. How does Maleficent know about her?_

"I'll explain everything, I promise." She placed a hand on arm. "I'd also like to talk to you when we get a chance to be alone."

Captain Maybeck nodded and they both joined the rest of the group.

* * *

"So you're telling me that this journal gives specific instructions to unleashing an ancient evil spirit?" Philby asked Jess in disbelief. Willa could tell Philby was having trouble believing what Jess was saying.

"Yes." Jess said. Her exhaustion from answering all of Philby's questions was as obvious as fireworks in the middle of the night.

"And Maleficent plans on using this to take over the world?" He raised an eyebrow.

"After she gets rid of Prince Finnegan—"

"I told you Jess, please just call me Finn." Finn interrupted.

"As soon as Maleficent gets rid of _Finn_, she'll use it to take over the world. Finn's the first target."

"Why would she want to do that?" Charlene asked Jess.

Willa could tell that Charlene was suspicious of Jess, but for different reasons than Philby. Sometime during their conversation, it must have dawned on Charlene that Jess was the girl from Terry's past. Jealousy was written all over her face, but it didn't seem to bother Jess. To Willa, Jess didn't seem to show any feelings for Terry, but that also could have been because she was currently aggravated by Philby

"Why does _any_ evil villain ever want to take over the world?" Jess threw up her hands in frustration. "I don't know! Just because it's there for her to take? I just know that she's going to use that journal," she pointed to the journal currently opened in Finn's lap, "on the summer solstice. And if she succeeds, we're all dead."

Everyone knew what she said was true and they all sat in silence.

Finn slammed the journal shut. "Do you know what the steps are to unleashing this evil spirit? I can't read a single word of this. It's in gibberish."

"It's not gibberish, _Finn._" She grabbed the journal out of his hand and placed it into her lap. "It's in the ancient language of the people who wrote it."

"Which is?" Dillard asked with a mouth full of food.

"I don't know."

"Then how do we know what the steps are?" Philby asked.

"_I_ don't. I was hoping one of you could help me with that. We've got four days until the summer solstice. That gives us plenty of time."

"How are we supposed to decode a language we've never heard of before?" Amanda asked. "Better yet, how did Maleficent?"

Then it hit Willa. She knew exactly what it said. She had read about it in that book from the monastery. She also knew exactly how Maleficent decoded it: she had help.

"Oh my gosh." Willa muttered under her breath.

"Do you know something Wills?" Terry asked her. He hadn't said much since the sudden appearance of Jess, but she was touched by his sudden concern.

"I know what it says." She looked up at Jess. "And I know how Maleficent decoded it."

Jess nodded, urging her to continue.

"A few days before Maleficent took over, I went to the monastery's library and borrowed a book. And this book talked about this ancient temple on an uninhabited island. In ancient times, people would come in to the island to perform a sacrifice to the gods." She let her gaze wander to Finn. "A human sacrifice."

Her gaze lingered on Finn, then moved to Philby. His eyes were pleading with her to continue.

"I had that book in my room when Maleficent's guards took me and I've seen her with it several times before. _She's_ asked me about it, but I didn't think any of it was relevant."

"Maleficent talked to you about the book? I didn't know she talked to you personally." Jess' confusion showed on her face. _She obviously doesn't know about what really happened to me_, Willa concluded.

"She did talk to me every once in a while. But she wasn't the one to talk to me about the book."

"Then who?" Finn asked. Willa stared at the fire, for she knew that if she looked anyone in the eye, she'd start crying.

"I…I don't know her name. But she would interrogate me," Willa searched for the best word to use before continuing," in _unconventional_ ways." There was a long pause. "Some might even say unethical."

Jess gasped. "You mean Lady Grimhilde?" Willa shrugged.

"Who the heck is that?" Terry asked. Willa was glad he had finally snapped out of whatever daze he had been in earlier.

"Some call her the 'evil queen.' But she is Maleficent's second-in-command. She deals with the day-to-day business of Anaheim and the surrounding villages and the torturing of prisoners." Jess turned to Willa with a sad look in her eyes when saying the last few words.

"Is she the one who helped Maleficent decode this journal?" Philby asked after a few seconds of silence. Willa shot him an short-lived warm smile. She knew he was changing the subject for her own good and she was grateful.

"No, that has to be Tia Dalma. She claims to be the ancient temple's current priestess. That part doesn't make sense, but she decoded the thing." Jess grabbed a piece of fruit out of a bag, took a bite and continued. "She's going to be the one doing the actual unleashing. Maleficent's going to be there to deal with anyone who tries to interrupt."

"Which'll be us, I presume." Charlene added quietly, staring at Finn.

Finn nodded. "How long will it take us to get to this temple?"

Philby took the journal from Jess and flipped to the map drawn on one of the pages. Willa could see the gears turning in his head while he studied it.

"I'd say, based on this map, a day and a half. Maybe more if we get any rough weather out there." He handed the journal back to Jess, who put it on the ground next to her.

"Is everyone forgetting that we don't have a ship?" Charlene asked, this time her voice full of frustration. Willa could feel the tension between Charlene, Jess and Terry.

Terry didn't seem to notice, which only made things worse.

"That's where I come in baby doll." He winked at Charlene, then turned to Jess. Willa could see Charlene's face erupt in anger. "If we can make it back to my ship in time, do you think we can make it there before Maleficent?"

"I'd think so." She smiled at him. Willa wished she could tell them both to stop. Charlene looked like she was about to punch someone.

"Well then, it's settled. We need to head back to the ship now." Finn stood up. "Lead the way captain."

Terry stood. "It's about time you let me lead."

* * *

Charlene was walking in the back of the group, like she had for some time now. She had watched while Jess and Terry had talked, laughed and flirted for the past few hours. She watched with jealous eyes but was constantly scolding herself. She knew this was coming. She knew Terry had fallen for a girl in the past and had never quite gotten over her. She knew that if this mysterious girl ever showed back up, that she would have no chance.

When Jess showed up with Finn and Amanda, Charlene's biggest nightmares came true.

"So you're the infamous Queen Charlene?" Charlene looked to her right to see Jess walking beside her. Her face was full of joy and warmth. Charlene had a hard time staying mad at her in this moment.

"Queen Charlene? Yes. Infamous? I doubt it."

"Terry speaks very highly of you." Charlene figured she should be happy that Terry had talked to Jess about her, but she wasn't. "I think you two would be quite the couple, considering you let Finn out of the marriage alliance and all." Jess nudged her playfully.

"Terry talked about me?" Charlene stared at Jess with disbelief. "To you?"

"Yeah, silly. He's totally in love with you." Jess laughs.

"No, no that can't be true."

She laughs again. "If you think otherwise, you're clearly blind."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I know when he's in love with a girl." She looked down and smiled, probably remembering the times she had shared with Terry. "He used to this look in his eyes when we talked. But I saw it in his eyes when he was talking about you."

"So you don't—"

"Nope." She nudged Charlene again. "He's all yours."

This time Charlene laughed.

"Besides, your majesty, pirates aren't really my thing."

"Just call me Charlene, Jess. There's no need for those stupid formalities here."

"Well that's good to know! I don't know about you, but they feel fake and stupid."

"I couldn't agree more." Charlene smiled at Jess. She knew the two of them were going to be great friends.

* * *

_Dell was scared. All of his friends and comrades had died. He did his best to make it to the castle, but the closer he got, the more rebel soldiers there were. Dell knew that it was either die here or run, and maybe live a little longer. _

I guess getting a few more hours can't hurt_, Dell thought to himself._

_He turned and ran as far as he could without ceasing, occasionally using his sword to knock a soldier out of his way._

_He ran into the forest and spent the night awake. He knew that sleep was his worst enemy right now, after the rebel soldiers scouring the woods for more royal soldiers._

_Two days later, Dell walked into a small village. Dell saw the destruction the raids had caused. No one seemed to mind that he was wearing royal armor. In fact, no one seemed to mind him at all._

_He had walked for almost half an hour before a stranger pulled him into a house and handed him new clothes._

_"They'll kill you on sight if they see you in that royal armor." The stranger had said to him. "You can stay here as long as you need."_

_"Why are you being so generous to me?" Dell had asked the stranger._

_"'Cause I haven't given up on the royal family yet, unlike the rest of the kingdom."_

_Dell took the clothes and the stranger held out his hand for Dell to shake._

_"Name's Jack. Yours?"_

_"Dell."_

_"Nice to meet you, Dell."_

The dream shifts.

_Dell threw the door open and ushered Lady Isabel in._

_"Jack!" He yelled. "Where are you?" He ushered Lady Isabel to sit in a chair while he grabbed a few things._

_"Dell? Is that you? You're back awfully fast!" Jack came walking out of the backroom. He was a middle-aged man. Four years ago, he had taken Dell in as his adopted son._

_"Yeah, we've got a problem." Dell stared at Jack, hopefully he would understand. When he didn't, Dell led him into the front room and introduced him to Lady Isabel. _

_"Lady Isabel, it's an honor to meet you." Jack bowed. Dell could see the shocked expression on his face that Jack was trying so hard to hide. He saw something flicker in his eyes for a few seconds: recognition maybe?_

_"So you're Dell's, I mean Philby's, father?" She asked him._

_"Not exactly. I must ask, my lady, where have you been all this time?" _

_"In Maleficent's prison. Someone on the inside helped me escape."_

_Jack looked at Dell._ He knows something!

_"I see the plan has been set in motion." Jack said and both Dell and Lady Isabel gave him confused looks._

_"What plan?" She asked Jack._

_"The plan to overthrow Maleficent, of course. A young lady with black hair, pale skin and a long green cape let you out, I suppose."_

_Lady Isabel's eyes widened. Dell knew Jack was right._

_"How did you know that?"_

_"She's been helping me and the queen."_

_"The queen? She's alive?" Dell asked. "That's not possible!"_

_"She is very much alive and she needs our help to get Prince Finnegan back on the throne."_

_"Where is she?" _

_"I can't reveal that information, for her own safety. Jess will lead you there when it's time."_

_"Jess?" Lady Isabel asked Jack._

_"The young lady who helped you escape." Jack took Lady Isabel's hands in his own. "You need to find Prince Finnegan as soon as possible and convince him to come back. He has to take the throne."_

_"Who are you really, Jack? You look familiar."_

_Jack tensed when she said that. _He does recognize her. But from where?

_"That's not important now, my dear." Jack stood up and helped Lady Isabel stand. "Now, stay here. I can get you some new clothes and some food for your trip." He turned to Dell. "And Dell, I'd put on your old armor. It's time."_

* * *

Philby slowly got up and walked to the water's edge and sat back down. The waves would hit his bare feet every few minutes or so. He couldn't help but miss Jack. He was a like father to him all those years. But Jack still puzzled him.

How had he known Willa before? Yes, she's royalty, so of course he should recognize her. But his recognition seemed to be deeper than that.

How long had he been involved with this resistance movement to get rid of Maleficent? Had he taken Philby in because he needed a royal soldier for their plan?

So many questions ran through his head. So many things to figure out. So little time to do so.

Willa plopped down beside him, making all of those thoughts flee into the depths of his mind.

He glanced in her direction and immediately saw her red, puffy eyes.

"What's wrong darling?"

"I just had a bad dream, that's all."

Philby wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

"What about?"

"That 'evil queen' torturing me." Willa was talking so quietly now that Philby had a hard time hearing her.

Philby sat there, holding her. The waves hit their feet. "I can't understand why anyone would want to do something so cruel, especially to someone so innocent and beautiful."

"You're too kind, Philby."

In response he kissed the top of her head.

"What's going to happen to us when Finn takes the throne back?" Willa asked him.

"The captain will probably go back to being a pirate. I'd bet that Charlene will let Finn out of the marriage, so Finn will marry Amanda. I don't know about Jess or Dillard though."

"You misunderstood me. Where does that leave me and you?"

Philby thought about it for a second. Then an idea popped into his head. "Your family bought their royal title, correct?"

Willa pulled back a little and stared at him. "Yes, but why does that matter?"

"If you're not a member of the royal family, you're not held to the same laws as Finn. You can marry someone who's not royalty."

Willa studied him. He could see the gears turning in her mind as she struggled to remember the old laws. Her eyes met his and she smiled, melting his heart.

"You're a genius Philby!" She kissed him on the cheek.

"So, to answer your question, how about when Finn gets his throne back, you and I get married?"

Willa's face was frozen with shock. _That's either really good or really bad. Stay calm. _"What?"

"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Willa." He grabbed both of her hands. "I don't have a ring now, but I'll get you one as soon as we get back to California. Finn said when he gets the throne back, he's going to make me commander of his army, so money will never be an issue for us. And we can get a big house in Anaheim-"

"You've thought this through haven't you?"

He blushed. "Yeah, I have." He studied her face for her reaction. "So what do you say?"

She thought about it. The seconds seemed to last an eternity. _What if she says no? Think positive, Philby._

She gave him a warm smile. "I'd be honored, Philby."

Philby smiled at her for a second before kissing her. All his doubts and worries went out the window. The only thing standing between him and Willa was Maleficent. And if necessary, Philby would fight to the death for Willa.

* * *

**Well, well, well. For once we get a happy ending to a chapter. I can't make them all cliffhangers, you know. **

**Please, please, please review! I LOVE reading them and I want to know what y'all think of the story so far! **


	17. I Want Out

**This one's kind of lame and really short, if I'm being completely honest. But hey, they all can't be winners. **

**Anyway, here's chapter 17**

* * *

Chapter 17: I Want Out

_Later That Night_

Amanda woke up with a start. Her stomach was hurting a lot lately. Tonight was no exception. She rubbed her eyes and saw Jess drawing in a small journal, struggling to see with the limited light the small fire provided.

Amanda walked over to Jess and sat down, startling her.

"It's just me, sis." Jess continued to draw. "I see you're still having your dreams."

"Yeah." She replied quickly without looking up from the paper.

"What's this one about?"

Jess drew some more then held the picture up for Amanda to see. "I don't know what to think of it."

Amanda took the journal from Jess and stared at the picture in awe.

The main subject of the drawing was Amanda herself. Her dark hair loosely braided to one side. What was being Amanda was blurry, which meant it wasn't important. Amanda was dressed in a simple white nightgown, but it seemed very expensive. At first, Amanda didn't think anything was out of the ordinary, until she saw her stomach. It was obvious in Jess' drawing that Amanda was pregnant.

Amanda's eyes grew wide.

"Anything you want to tell me Amanda?" Jess asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Amanda passed the journal back to Jess. "No, why would I?"

"You're pregnant in this picture. I don't have dreams _that_ far into the future." She pointed to Amanda's stomach. "Are you eating for two Amanda?"

"Jess!" Amanda stood up fast, maybe a little too fast. She felt dizzy. To balance herself, she placed a hand on Jess' shoulder.

"Amanda, you can tell me, you know."

"There's nothing to tell!"

"Then why do I have a dream of you pregnant?" Jess stood up.

"I…I don't know!" Amanda tried taking deep breaths. She didn't want to push Jess.

"Amanda…have you been feeling sick a lot lately? Especially in the morning?"

She knew she had to tell the truth eventually. After a few seconds of intense staring, Amanda slowly nodded her head.

"Did you and Finn…you know…"

"I am _not_ talking about that with you!"

"Oh my gosh you're pregnant, aren't you?" Jess yelled. She grabbed the journal and held it up to Amanda. "This isn't too far away! This'll happen in a few months!"

Amanda was trying so hard to hold back tears. Her worst nightmare was coming true. Jess' dream had only confirmed her fears.

"Yes." Amanda whispered so softly that Jess couldn't hear her.

"What was that?"

"Yes!" Amanda whispered as loud as she could. "Are you happy now? Finn and I got carried away and now I'm pregnant! If he makes it out of this suicidal mission of his, he's going to marry Charlene! Now if caring for myself out here isn't hard enough, I have to deal with a baby! I'll be all on my own when the baby comes! I'm scared out of my mind! I can't do this, Jess!"

Amanda sat down on the sand and put her head in her hands, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Jess stood there, unsure of what to think about what Amanda had just told her. She saw the picture, but she was still shocked by her sister admitting it. Jess heard a noise not far away, and looked up to see Finn standing there.

Finn and Jess exchanged looks and it was immediately evident to Jess that he had known about Amanda's condition for some time now. He had also heard the entire conversation.

Finn walked over to Amanda and held her as she cried, whispering soothing words into her ear. Jess felt as if she couldn't breathe. Amanda was never scared. Even if she was, she would have never openly admitted it to Jess like that.

"Hey Jess?" Finn whispered to Jess, snapping her out of her daze.

"Yeah?"

"Can we keep this a secret for now?"

Jess nodded. Finn helped Amanda get up and got her to walk down the beach a little before coming back for a blanket.

"How long have you known?" Jess asked Finn.

"A few days."

"She's scared out of her mind, Finn."

Finn looked at Jess. She could tell he was just as scared, possibly more.

"I'm not going to leave her, if that's what you think. I wouldn't do that to her." He started to walk in Amanda's direction.

"What about Charlene?" Finn stopped cold in his tracks, but did not turn around.

Finn didn't say anything, which surprised Jess. He seemed like the kind of guy who always had an answer. After a few seconds, Finn continued on walking and sat down by Amanda.

Jess watched as he draped the blanket over her shoulders and wrapped an arm around her. She kept watching them as the couple whispered. She could only see Amanda's face. She could see the fear on her face subside as Finn talked. Just before Jess left to go back to sleep, she could have sworn she saw Amanda smile.

Jess knew Amanda was going to be okay. She had finally found someone who made her happy: Finn. Jess could tell that Finn wasn't going to hurt her. Finn was there for Amanda when Jess couldn't be, and honestly she felt a little jealous.

Amanda had always been there for Jess. And now in Amanda's hour of greatest need, Jess wanted nothing more than to be there for her, but Finn was doing a much better job than Jess ever could.

Had she been away for too long?

* * *

_Two Days Later_

"Do you think we're going to make it there on time?" Charlene asked Terry. He was currently at the enormous steering wheel of his pirate ship. "We've got two days to the summer solstice, and Philby said the trip takes about two days."

"We'll make it in time to kick Maleficent's butt, don't worry." He winked at her, making her heart skip a beat.

Then a horrible thought came to Charlene's mind. _What if he doesn't make it out alive? What if _he_ is the human sacrifice?_

The distress must have shown on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I…uh…"

Terry turned and signaled for one of his crew members to take the wheel. He motioned for Charlene to follow him to the bow. They both leaned against the railing, looking out at the ocean below.

"What's bothering you baby doll?"

Charlene rolled her eyes at the nickname _baby doll_. "I'm just worried, that's all."

"Why? Maleficent's nothing more than an annoying little freak. We can beat her."

"There's the whole human sacrifice element that everyone seems to be ignoring. And it's bugging me." Charlene felt Terry studying her, but she continued. "I don't want it to be you, that's all."

"Don't worry about me, Charlie. I'm right here." He placed a hand under her chin and leaned in for a kiss.

At the last possible second, there was a cough from behind them.

Terry rolled his eyes and turned into the direction of the cough. "What?"

Charlene saw Finn standing there. He looked miserable: red, puffy eyes, shaky hands, messy hair.

"Sorry, captain. I…I have to speak to Charlene." He ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Now, please."

"You couldn't wait a few more seconds to stop us?"

Charlene placed a hand on his chest. "It's fine, Terry. This won't take long, right Finn?"

"Right."

Terry looked between Finn and Charlene, then nodded.

"We're finishing this later." He said to her.

* * *

Finn sat down on his bed, with Charlene in the chair in the corner. They had been awkwardly silent for some time now.

Charlene cleared her throat. "So, you wanted to talk to me?"

Finn cleared his throat. "I want to talk about this marriage alliance."

Charlene feared this was coming. "What about it?"

"I want out."

"You don't want my army to help you fight Maleficent?"

"No, I'd love that. But…it's just…I can't marry you Charlene."

"Is this because of Amanda?"

"Yes. She's..." he paused, reconsidering his words. "She needs me. And I need her."

Charlene knew this was coming. She didn't want to marry Finn either.

There was a few minutes of silence.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Finn looked up at her, confused. _Is something wrong with Amanda?_

"We're not getting married, but my army is still going to help you get your throne back."

Finn's face lit up. "Really?"

Charlene smiled. "Really."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Thanks Charlie. This means a lot to me." He got up and hugged her.

When she let go, she walked over to the door. "Besides, I'd rather have Terry than you." She winked at him. "No offense."

He laughed. "None taken."

Charlene walked out of Finn's room and back up to the top deck, where Terry was still standing in the same place.

She coughed and he turned around. Upon seeing her, he smiled and pulled her into his arms.

"Now where were we?" He leaned down and kissed her.

* * *

**I must apologize for the boring chapter. I needed an in between from the beach to the ancient temple**

**So, next chapter we're going to get into the good stuff! I'll give you a heads up, next chapter is the beginning of the ancient temple battle scene stuff (there's probably a better word to describe that, oh well). It'll be multiple chapters of fun, action & above all, pure awesomeness. **

**Anyway, please review! I love reading them! **


	18. Insanely Good Hearing

**1400 Views! Oh goodness gracious! **

**So word has it, I was wrong to say the last chapter was boring...I stand corrected! The reviews have convinced me I was wrong!**

**And I also want to clear somethings up. The ages of the Keepers might not have been made clear, that's my bad. Willa is the baby at 18. Finn & Dillard at 19. Jess is 20. Terry's 23. Charlene & Philby are 22, and Amanda is 21. **

**So I hope that clears some things up! And now on with chapter 18! :)**

* * *

Chapter 18: Insanely Good Hearing

_Two Days Later _

The island appeared on the horizon. Willa couldn't help but smiling. The island was so beautiful. It blew her mind that something so beautiful could become so dreadful and dark. She hoped that they could stop Maleficent before the anyone was sacrificed. The mere thought of human sacrifice made a chill run down Willa's back.

A pair of warm arms wrapped around her and a kiss landed on her cheek.

"Morning beautiful," Philby whispered in her ear.

"Morning."

"We're here." She could hear the dread in his voice. "This is it."

"Yeah." She took a breath. "Don't you think this is a little silly? We're going to stop three crazy ladies from unleashing an evil spirit." She stifled a laugh. "Stuff like this only happens in fairy tales."

"Well if this is a fairy tale, do I get to be the dashing young knight in shining armor? I think that title suits me pretty well."

Willa laughed at his inflated confidence. "Somebody's been hanging out with the captain a little bit too much."

"So is that a yes to the knight in shining armor?"

"If it makes you feel better, then yes."

"You'll have to be the beautiful princess of course."

"Which translates to the damsel in distress in most fairy tales." The last thing Willa wanted was to be a damsel in distress, feeling helpless and useless was not her thing.

"But why is that a bad thing? As a knight in shining armor, I need damsels in distress to stay in my job."

Willa laughed, but before she could reply, Finn walked up beside them.

"Hey Philby. Can I talk to Willa for a second?"

"Anything you want to say to me, you can say to him. Let's not be secretive here Finn. Besides, I'll end up telling him anyway." She nudged Finn.

"Oh, alright." Finn cleared his throat. "Jess wanted to scout out the location of the temple, but since she can't read any of the writing in the book, she was wondering if you would come with her. Since you know what the journal says and all."

"Sure, we'd like to come." Philby said, tightening his grip on Willa.

"Uh…she only asked for Willa." Finn said awkwardly.

"Oh."

"It's okay." Willa turned to Finn." What time do we leave?"

"As soon as we get close enough for you two to get into a boat and row ashore."

"Where's Jess? Shouldn't she be asking me herself?"

"She's with Amanda. Amanda's…uh…not feeling well."

"What's wrong with her?" Philby, who was disappointed a few seconds earlier, was now very concerned.

"She's…uh…just sea sick. That's all."

"She didn't get sick the first time we rode on Terry's boat." Willa stated.

"Yeah, I don't know. She'll be fine." Finn stared off into the distance for a few seconds before going back below decks.

"You sure you don't want me to go?" Philby asked Willa once Finn was gone.

"I can do this, Philby."

"It's not that you can't do this, because I know you can. I just want to be there in case something goes wrong. I promised to protect you and I intend on keeping that promise."

"Well I'm not the damsel in distress this time, Philby. Maybe next time." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before going below decks to get ready for her scouting mission with Jess.

* * *

Willa and Jess trudged through the jungle. Jess was using the sword Finn had given her to cut branches out of the way. Willa was holding the journal, trying to use it to navigate to the temple.

Their mission was simple: see if Maleficent was at the temple already. They weren't supposed to be seen or engage in any fighting. Just scout the area, then come back.

Willa had told Philby they should be back in three hours. Philby had made the point to tell her that he _would_ go after them if they weren't back by then.

"I think we need to turn left about forty-five degrees." Willa called out to Jess.

Without saying a word, Jess moved in the direction Willa had said.

For another ten minutes the girls said nothing. Willa wasn't looking where she was going because her eyes were fixed on the journal. The ancient language fascinated her. She wanted to take the time to study it and try to decode it herself, but she hadn't had the time so far. _When this is all over_, she reassured herself.

Jess abruptly stopped and Willa ran straight into her, dropping the journal.

"Why'd you stop Jess? Based on the map it looks like we have—"

Jess turned around and placed her hand over her mouth.

"Somebody's following us," Jess whispered. Willa's eyes grew wide.

Jess slowly crouched down, an action which Willa quickly imitated.

Willa figured Jess must have some insanely good hearing, because she didn't hear anything. She also didn't hear anyone sneaking up on her.

Before she knew it, something hit her hard and fast like a freight train. She fell forward, bringing scrapes on her face, hands and arms. The edges of her vision were blurred. She struggled to get up, but couldn't do it. And in a few seconds, her she lost feeling in her whole body and everything went black.

* * *

To say Philby was worried would be an understatement. After exactly three hours after the girls' departure, he started heading off to find Willa—and Jess too, but mainly his fiancée. Finn had convinced him not to go alone, and then got stuck being the one to accompany him.

They had been walking for about two hours, trying to track the girls through the island's jungle, but they were having a hard time. After Philby was starting to lose hope, he saw someone lying on the jungle floor.

He ran to the person and immediately his heart sank in his chest.

Willa was lying unconscious with her hands bound and her mouth gagged. There were a few cuts on her face and arms, but nothing too serious.

He immediately cut the rope tying her hands together with his sword and removed the gag. He propped her up to a sitting position on the nearest tree. He shook her shoulders lightly. She wasn't waking up.

"Where's Jess?" Finn asked. "What about the journal?"

But Philby wasn't paying attention to Finn.

"Come on Willa, please wake up." She was definitely breathing. _She doesn't have any head wounds, so how did she get unconscious?_

"Willa, wake up." He shook her shoulders again, this time with a little bit more force.

"Willa, sweetheart, please." Philby felt a few tears come to his eyes, but he brushed them away. He was not about to start crying in front of Finn or Willa.

Willa stirred and slowly opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to focus in on anything, which Philby knew was a result of being drugged by something.

"Philby?" She asked in a small, weak voice. "Wh-where's Jess?"

"We don't know, Willa. That's what we were hoping you'd tell us." Finn, now kneeling beside Willa, asked in a quiet, comforting voice.

"I…uh…don't know." She tried to lean forward, but immediately felt woozy and leaned back on the tree. "I remember her stopping because she heard something, and then something hit me and I lost all feeling…then…then…that's it."

"Amanda's going to kill me." Finn muttered under his breath.

"Did you see who attacked you?" Philby asked, hoping to get some kind of clue who they were dealing with, but Willa shook her head.

"Let's get you back to the ship. We'll come back for Jess." Philby decided.

"What do you mean, _we'll come back for Jess_?" Finn scold Philby. "We need to find her NOW! The more time we spend wasting going back and forth to the ship, the harder it will be to find her!"

"Willa is in no condition to walk around in the jungle!"

"I can't go back without Jess! I refuse to do it! We don't know what happened to her! _And_ we lost the journal!"

"Do any of you two know what time it is?" Willa asked the two, stopping their fight.

"Why does that matter?" Finn yelled at Willa in frustration.

Philby looked toward the sky. He could tell the what time it was based off the sun's position. The tops of the trees were getting in the way, but Philby saw enough to make an educated guess.

"I'd say it's almost noon, why do you ask?"

"They won't be doing anything at the temple until sunset." Willa said through deep breaths. Whatever was used to knock her out still had some kind of hold on her. "We have time Finn."

Finn studied her, as if trying to see whether or not she was making that up.

"Fine. Let's get going."

Finn and Philby helped Willa stand up. Finn led the way back to the ship. Philby wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady. Willa leaned on him heavily, too much for Philby's liking.

After walking for ten minutes or so, Philby realized she was slipping into unconsciousness again. He stopped, move his arm around her waist up her back and placed his other arm under her knees. He picked her up bridal-style and carried her.

Every once in a while, Philby would look down at her, but each time he saw her still unconscious. Philby didn't know what was used to knock her out, but by the way she described it, it seemed more like..._no, that's insan__e, Philby. There's no way Willa was hit by a spell. _But Philby couldn't help but think that it was a spell. And it was bothering him that he didn't know.

_Who are we dealing with? We're in way too deep._

* * *

By the time they got back to the boat, she had awoken again, but this time she wasn't as out of it as she was the first time. Philby tried to get her to go to bed and take a quick nap, but she refused.

Charlene, Dillard and the captain quickly joined them on the top deck, asking what had happened to Willa and where Jess was. But neither Finn nor Philby could answer their questions, which only made their situation worse.

"So what do we do Finn? We can't have Jess becoming the sacrifice!" Charlene pleaded.

"That's not going to happen, Charlie, I promise. We need to have some sort of plan, though." Finn said calmly.

"Do we even know where the temple is?" Terry yelled out. "The stupid temple could be anywhere for as far as we know!" Except he didn't say stupid.

"We didn't find it, but we were very close." Willa said in a soothing voice. Philby could tell that she was exhausted, but he knew better then to ask her to rest a little.

"So how long do we have before this whole unleashing spirit business happens?" Dillard asked Finn with a serious tone, which shocked Philby. Dillard didn't strike him as the serious type.

"Willa says we have until sunset." Finn replied.

"We can make it to the temple by then." An idea popped in Philby's head. "But we'll have to also to stop Maleficent in the process. Two missions in one."

"Save Jess, stop the spirit unleashing nonsense, _and _get back here alive." The captain stared back at Philby. The anger and revenge in his eyes gave Philby chills up his spine. He made a mental note never to mess with him. "I believe that's three missions, Phildweeb."

"Save Jess? What are you talking about?" Amanda slowly made her way over to Finn. Philby could see how weak she was. _There's no way she's sea sick_. Upon reaching Finn, she held one hand on her stomach and the other on the railing behind her. Finn wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.

"I'm sorry Amanda, but Jess was taken." Finn said quietly.

"WHAT?"

"They attacked me from behind before we knew what was going on." Willa added. "I'm really sorry Amanda. I was knocked out before Jess was taken, so I have no clue what happened to her."

Amanda was quiet for a second. "No, no, Willa, it's not your fault."

She turned to face Finn. "I just know this was Maleficent." She closed her eyes and gripped the railing tighter. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. "Finn, I want you to go get Jess back and get rid of Maleficent. I wish I could be there with you, but I—" She gripped the railing again. Philby thought she was going to vomit over the edge of the ship, but it never happened.

Finn nodded and kissed her on the forehead. "Let's get you back to bed."

She nodded, but before Finn ushered her back downstairs, he turned to address the group.

"We leave for the temple in ten minutes."

* * *

**Duh, duh, duh...oh dang. Here we go! Where's Jess? And was Willa really hit by a spell? **

**I guess you'll have to wait and find out! :P **

**And please review! I love reading them! Tell me what you like (and what you don't, that's always helpful!)! I'll do my best to update as soon as possible!**


	19. Trusting Maleficent

**I want to apologize for always updating so late at night. I always write the chapter during the day, but by the time I edit it and put it on here it's always so late! It's a bad habit, hopefully I can get better at that!**

**So, I have to put a disclaimer on here. I'm not Ridley Pearson. Not even close. Sorry to disappoint :P**

**1700 VIEWS! Talk about awesomeness! I hope y'all enjoy chapter 19! **

* * *

Chapter 19: Trusting Maleficent

Finn and Dillard were doing their best to find the temple, but their best, wasn't too great. Sometimes the group had to double back and try a new direction. Without the journal, Finn thought they would never find the temple.

While trekking through the jungle, Finn glanced back at the rest of the group. Charlene and the captain were currently fighting. Based off what Finn had learned about them over the past few days, he knew they were probably fighting over something stupid and pointless.

Willa was still heavily leaning on Philby. Whatever had knocked her out had taken a toll on her, but she was slowly gaining her strength back. Willa was like a little sister to Finn. Seeing her like this fueled the hate he had against Maleficent. He knew she was behind this. She had been behind _all_ of this.

And Finn was determined to stop her once and for all.

* * *

_"It's a baby girl, your majesty." The midwife told the king with a smile on her face. "She's a healthy, beautiful girl."_

_"I'm glad to hear that! When can I see my two lovely ladies?" _

_The midwife's face turned sour. "Your wife…she…she didn't make it sir."_

_The midwife scurried off before seeing the king's reaction. The king sat back down on the throne. He didn't know what he was going to do with two young children and no wife. He truly loved his wife, despite the arranged marriage. _

_He wasn't sure how much time had passed. The king thought he must have been seeing things, for he saw a shadow move along the pillars. He wiped the tears on his cheek._

_Before long, a figure emerged from the shadows and into the center of the throne room._

_"King Peter. I am truly sorry for your loss. It's always a shame losing a queen to childbirth." The sarcastic, dry, raspy voice taunted._

_The king rolled his eyes. "Maleficent, your sarcasm is not appreciated. Go away before I have my guards kill you."_

_"Oh, now we wouldn't want that." She patted the golden crow on top of her scepter as if it was real._

_"What are you even doing here? You are not wanted here!"_

_"Not wanted? Oh dear, what an awkward situation." She let out an evil laugh, but the king was unfazed by her._

_"State your business or leave."_

_"Fine! I'll tell you. Your daughter will die if she stays in this castle."_

_The king stood up. "How dare you threaten my daughter!"_

_"Oh dear, you think_ I'm_ the one who's going to kill her?" She let out another laugh. "Oh, you're sadly mistaken."_

_"Then what?"_

_"She was born a month before she was due. I'd say it's self explanatory."_

_The king took a few steps forward. "I presume you know how to save her?"_

_"Of course!"_

_He waited a few seconds for her to answer, but she never did. "How do I do it?"_

_"You're going to have to take her away from here. I'd say give her away to some poor peasants far, far away."_

_"Give up my daughter! You've lost your mind!"_

_"Some have told me that. But if you want her to live, I'd do just that."_

_Maleficent disappeared into thin air, leaving a cloud of purple smoke._

The dream shifts.

_The king stands at the castle gates as he watches the carriage roll away. He had just given up his daughter, Princess Isabel, to a young couple. They were poor, yes, but he had just made an amendment to his will. On the day after Isabel's fourteenth birthday, the couple was to receive enough money to purchase a royal title and maintain a wealthy lifestyle for the rest of their days. _

_The thought of his daughter growing up far, far away brought tears to his eyes. He did not want to do this, but it was for her safety. He had decided to pretend as if she had died along with the queen at childbirth. But one day, the king vowed to tell his son about his long lost sister. The king's sister knew of her niece, but otherwise, no one else._

_Why he ever trusted Maleficent in the first place was a mystery to everyone, including the king himself. But as long as his daughter lived to see him again, he wouldn't question it. _

_He sent up a silent prayer at that moment. He prayed that he would live long enough to see his daughter again. He had to see her at least one more time. _Please,_ he prayed, _please.

* * *

A soft knock at the front door woke Jack up. He walked over to the door and peeked out.

"Wanda, my dear sister, what brings you here. I thought we said we couldn't meet for a few more weeks." The man whispered.

"Jack, dear, it's of the utmost urgency." She invited herself in, walking straight to the back room and sitting down on his bed.

"What is it?" He stood next to the bed.

"Maleficent has gone after the ancient temple spirit herself. I fear that our plan to overthrow her might be in jeopardy."

"She went _herself_?" He paused, gathering her thoughts. "Any news of my children?"

"Jess went out to find Finn about a week ago. I haven't heard from her, but I just know that she found him. About your daughter, I hope she is with him. She escaped the castle almost three weeks ago."

"Yes I remember. Isabel came by the house shortly after."

"She did? Did she know who you were?"

"No, no. I did not tell her. But I fear Dell might know."

"Dell? The boy soldier you took in just after the raids?"

"Yes. I fear he knows, but he never asked. I know that if he is with her, they had to find Finn."

"Does Finn know about Isabel?"

"He knows that his sister is alive, but I did not mention a name."

"What should we do, Peter?"

Jack let out a small laugh. "No one has called me that in years."

"Well it's your real name, brother. Why wouldn't I call you that?"

"Because _Peter_ died eleven years ago. I go by Jack now." There was a moment of silence. Jack remembered the day he faked his death like it was yesterday. It constantly replayed in his mind.

"Does Finn know you are alive?" Wanda asked him quietly.

"No. And I do not wish for him to know. It's better this way."

She nodded her head. An idea appeared in Jack's head.

"You say Maleficent has left the castle?"

"Yes."

"And how much of her army did she bring with her?"

"A very small army. The Lady Grimhilde and a foreigner went with her."

"Hmm…that's interesting. I think it's time I come visit you in the castle."

She thought about it, then it dawned on her what Jack was suggesting.

"I think you're right brother."

* * *

After giving up, Finn and Dillard let Willa and Philby take the lead.

"How much longer?" Terry yelled up to Willa and Philby from the back of the group.

"Shut it Terry!" Charlene scolded Terry. "When we're there, you'll know!"

Willa rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. Ever since getting knocked out this morning, Willa's mind had been a little foggy. Over the hours, her vision had returned to normal, but she still felt exhausted. All this walking was really taking a toll on her.

Luckily for her, Philby had kept his arm around her waist, which kept her upright. Having his arm there gave her a sense of security, like he really was her knight in shining armor. She couldn't wait to get back to California so they could get married, but she also wanted to delay the fight with Maleficent as long as possible.

"Feeling any better?" Philby asked her.

"Yeah…I guess." She mumbled. She hated being the weak one, but she was grateful for Philby's help.

"You know, I've been thinking—"

"That's a relief." Willa joked, nudging Philby with her shoulder.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Philby rolled his eyes and continued. "I was thinking that when we get to the temple, you don't need to be anywhere near conflict."

"What?" Willa turned to Philby. "You think I can't help?"

"It's not that Willa. You can barely stand up without help! There's no way you'll be able to do anything out there without passing out from exhaustion!"

Willa didn't say anything, which Philby took as a bad sign.

"I'm worried about you sweetheart, that's all." He lowered his voice. "Whatever knocked you out still has a hold on you and until we can figure out what happened, you can't go out there! You'll be easy prey for a human sacrifice."

"I can do this Philby." She wiggled her way out of Philby's grasp and moved ahead of him, taking the lead.

* * *

Willa had been quiet for some time now, which worried Philby. He didn't mean to make it seem like she was weak. He was worried about her. All he had wanted to do was to protect her by keeping her away from the temple.

_How am I supposed to protect her if she keeps continuing on like this? She's going to pass out from exhaustion sooner or later. It's like she doesn't want me to protect her. _

Willa stopped cold in her tracks, then immediately squatted down. Philby ran up to her and crouched next to her, placing one arm over her shoulders.

"Everything alright?" He whispered into her ear.

In response, Willa pointed in front of her.

Philby studied her for a second before looking in the direction she was pointing. He realized they were on the edge of a twenty-foot cliff. The sight at the bottom of the cliff almost made him scream like a little girl.

At the bottom was a large ancient temple. Some of the columns that used to be lining the edge of the temple had crumbled. Philby could tell there had never been a roof, but the stone floor was completely in tact. The wall furthest away from the group was a cave.

In the center of the temple was a large stone table. Currently surrounding the table were two women. One was Maleficent, but the other Philby did not know, but she was holding the journal. Right along the wall closest to their group was the Lady Grimhilde. About ten feet to the right of the table was Jess being held by two of Maleficent's soldiers.

From their vantage point, Philby could tell that Jess was conscious but she seemed to be in a kind of daze—which was almost just as bad as being unconscious.

Philby turned around to see Dillard, Charlene, the captain and Finn crouched behind them with confused looks.

"We found the temple…and Jess." Philby whispered.

"What do we do now Finn?" Charlene asked. Philby could hear the fear in her shaky voice.

Finn worked his way up to the edge of the cliff with Willa and Philby without saying a word or making a sound. He studied the temple area and all the people in it. He turned around with a certain gleam in his eyes that Philby had never seen.

"I've got a plan."

* * *

**Kind of short, but oh well. **

**Please review! Love reading them! :)**


	20. Sweet Dreams

Chapter 20: Sweet Dreams

Dillard and Charlene snuck along the west wall of the temple. Their goal was to get the attention of Maleficent and run like crazy for the ship. They inched across the wall and every once in a while stuck their heads above the five feet wall. If someone didn't spot them soon, they would be in serious trouble.

"We need to make our distraction more obvious." Dillard whispered to Charlene.

"We need to stick to the plan Dillard."

"They're not spotting us. We've gone back and forth on this wall twice already."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"I've got an idea, but it's risky."

"What is it?"

Dillard stopped dead in his tracks and gave Charlene crooked smile.

"I'm going to get their attention."

* * *

Philby and the captain were crouched along the east wall. Jess was being held about twelve feet in front of them. Their part of the plan was to grab Jess. It sounded simple, but in reality, it wasn't.

"Okay, I've got an idea." The captain whispered to Philby. "We wait for the distraction and then we go knock out the two bozos with our swords, grab her and run."

"That's exactly what I said five minutes ago." Philby said with an annoyed tone. "Except I didn't call the guards bozos."

"It sounds a lot better when you call them that."

The two boys stared at the scene unfolding before them. They could only hear some of the words being said, but none of them were comforting.

"—hurry it up! We can't wait much longer!" Maleficent's voice yelled out.

"It's not time…sunset…" The foreign woman Philby did not know mumbled while staring at the journal. She was speaking so quiet that Philby barely heard her.

"We need her dead by then!"

"She will…do not worry."

Maleficent stormed off toward the entrance of the cave in a rage. Philby and the captain exchanged a look. The distraction was taking too long. It was time to take matters into their own hands.

Both of them slowly climbed over the five-foot wall, trying not to make a sound. The two men that were holding Jess seemed to not be paying attention to anything particular.

Even though they were in the open, no one seemed to notice the two sneaking up on the guards holding Jess. Once they were two feet away, both of them stabbed a guard with their sword in the back, causing Jess to fall to the ground.

The captain grabbed the unconscious Jess and threw her over his shoulder. He nodded to Philby and took off, but just as he turned around the Lady Grimhilde was there.

The captain screamed out of fright, but luckily didn't let go of Jess. Philby spun around, swinging his sword, which connected with the her thigh.

For some reason, the wound didn't seem to faze her.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you." Her gaze flickered past Philby and the captain. Philby turned around and saw Maleficent with a flaming ball of fire in her hand.

"I'd get that poison ready. The boys are going to need it." Maleficent let out a maniacal laugh. She threw the fireball straight at the captain, causing him to fall flat on his back. Jess fell down, hitting her head on the stone floor with an disturbing _CRACK!_

Before Philby could do anything, another fireball hit him square in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Philby could have sworn he had heard a scream coming from the other end of the temple. The lady the villagers back home had called the "Evil Queen" reached into her jacket and pulled out two small flasks.

She removed the corks from both and forced one into the captain's mouth and the other into Philby's. She leaned in close to Philby's ear and whispered "sweet dreams."

For a second, nothing happened. His vision became blurry, his body erupted in pain. And then everything went black.

* * *

Finn and Willa stared at the scene that unfolded before them in shock. Philby and Maybeck had just made a run for Jess, but it only resulted in all three of them being knocked out.

Without thinking, Willa let out a scream when she saw Philby get hit by the fireball. Finn clamped his hand over her mouth and the two crouched down with their backs against the south wall opposite of the cave. Unlike the other temple walls, this one was only two and a half feet, making it harder for them to stay hidden.

When they thought it was safe, Finn removed his hand and peeked back over the wall. He saw Tia Dalma set down the journal on the giant stone table in the center of the temple.

He sat back down and faced Willa. "Willa, you can read the journal right?"

Her eyes grew wide. "Not really. It's in that ancient language, remember?"

"But you know the gist of it?"

"What do you mean the _gist of it_?"

"I mean, if you got the journal, you could stop Maleficent and that lady from unleashing that evil spirit?"

"I…I could…I guess."

"I think you've got to try."

"Finn…this is dangerous! What if I do it the wrong way? What if I end up unleashing it?"

Finn peeked over the wall again. "I don't think we have a choice Willa." She gave him a look that screamed fear. "You can do it Willa. I know you can."

She studied him then slowly nodded.

"On three?" She nodded again.

"One." He gripped his sword and got into position to get over the wall.

"Two." She readied an arrow in her bow.

"Three." They hurled themselves over the wall and both pairs of eyes went wide.

In the time between Finn's last look at the temple and the two of them hurling themselves over the wall, chaos had broken out.

* * *

Amanda sat up in her bed. She had a horrible feeling that she wasn't going to see Finn again and it made her sick. She wished she could have been there. She wished that she wouldn't have made such a stupid mistake. She wished she could help him.

But no. She had to be pregnant and sick. She could barely stand up. There was no way she would be able to help him like this. She felt useless.

She reached blindly for the glass of water on the table next to the bed, but ended up grabbing a journal instead.

She picked it up and looked at it. She immediately recognized the journal as the one Jess drew her dreams in. Curiosity won her over and she began flipping through it.

She saw the picture that Jess had shown her a week ago of her being pregnant and quickly flipped to the next page. There was one of Finn and Willa standing with a middle-aged man. She had never seen him before but he looked like an older version of Finn, except he had blue eyes—the same shade of Willa's, to be exact.

_His father maybe?_ Amanda immediately dismissed that thought when she remembered that Finn's father had died a long time ago. _Who could that be?_

When she decided to figure out who that was later, she moved on to the next picture. This one had Philby and Terry lying in the back of a cart. Neither looked to be conscious. Both of their chests looked burned. _They're not dead…surely this can't be right. Jess has been wrong before..._

The last thing Amanda wanted to think was that some of the group wouldn't be making it back alive. She flipped to the next one and stared in shock.

The picture showed Charlene struggling to carry Jess. Jess didn't look like she was conscious. There was a large gash that extended from her left eyebrow down the side of her face to her chin. Charlene's eyes were looking at something that was obviously scaring her, but whatever it was wasn't drawn in the picture. That meant that Jess hadn't seen it. It didn't mean that it wasn't important.

The background of almost all of these drawings had been blurry. But not this one.

Amanda had to squint, but in the background she saw someone holding the journal. Out of the journal came a large black cloud of smoke. At the top of the page, the cloud of smoke turned into some kind of bat-shaped demon spirit. Or at least that's what came to mind when Amanda saw it. The spirit's eyes were glowing red.

Amanda brought the journal closer in order to see who was unleashing the spirit. The person had brown hair pulled back into a braid and bright blue eyes. This person had a bow wrapped over her shoulders. Both eyes were wide. Her face screaming uncertainty, confusion and regret.

It was Willa. And she had unleashed the evil spirit, whether she wanted to or not.

* * *

**And the plot thickens...again! This one's a little short but _very_ action packed! Gosh I love action more than anything. I hope y'all enjoyed this one! **

**And here comes the boring, broken-record announcement at the end of every single chapter: Please review! I love reading them! I'll do my best to get the next one up as soon as I can! I hope y'all enjoyed this one :)**


	21. But Then That Moment Ended

**So the fight scene continues! Just so you know, the scenes in here happen to be similar to Dark Passage, so if you haven't read it yet, stop reading this right now, go read Dark Passage, then come back. I don't want to ruin that book for you. For those of you who have read, I must apologize in advance. It's a crucial part of the story, I had to do it! Don't hate me!**

**I'm not going to keep y'all from it any longer! I present Chapter 21!**

* * *

Chapter 21: But Then That Moment Ended

"Get the journal before they unleash the spirit!" Finn yelled to Willa.

Finn took off, with sword in hand, toward the woman standing over Jess, Philby and the captain's bodies. Finn wasn't sure if they were unconscious or dead. Neither would be good in this situation. Finn could have really used their help, but this time he had to do it alone.

He saw her wound on her thigh and decided to take advantage of that.

He swung for her leg, right where the wound was and connected, causing her to scream out in pain. She turned to him with a fire in her eyes that could burn down an entire forest.

He swung his sword again, this time at her head, missing on purpose. He brought the hilt back to knock her on the side of the head. She immediately collapsed right next to Philby's body.

Finn couldn't help but see the irony in the situation. She—whoever she was—had knocked out Philby and the captain and now he had knocked her out. He also couldn't help but think that getting rid of her was too easy.

* * *

Dillard took off running toward the center of the temple. Charlene yelled behind him, trying to get him to come back, but it was too late.

He ran straight for Maleficent with nothing to defend himself but a small dagger. He was almost to her when someone came up from behind, grabbed him and lifted him off his feet.

He tried and he tried to get free from his captor's grasp but couldn't.

Maleficent turned around and gave him a crooked smile.

"Look what we've got here. A willing sacrifice has fallen into our arms. He will do just fine. Much better than our dear Jezebel."

She motioned toward the table with her head and Dillard's captor threw him on the table, bound his hands and feet and gagged his mouth. Dillard couldn't help but say a few prayers. He didn't know where everyone was, but if they didn't come fast, he would become the human sacrifice.

* * *

One thing Charlene knew she was good at was running fast.

After Dillard was captured by a third guard no one had seen before now, Charlene hurled herself over the west wall and sprinted toward the three unconscious bodies.

She past Finn, who was heading toward Maleficent at the moment, and Willa, who was fighting two new guards to get closer to foreign priestess and the journal. She ran to the bodies and immediately started checking if they were even alive.

Terry and Philby were both breathing, which gave her a sense of relief.

"Charlene?" A hoarse, female voice called out.

Charlene turned around to see Jess sitting up, holding her head with both hands, looking straight at her.

"Jess!" Charlene ran over to her and helped her up. "We've got to get you out of here."

"What happened to Terry and Philby?" She asked so softly, it was almost impossible to hear.

"Not important now. Let's get you out of here."

Jess moved one of her hands off of her face, revealing a gash that extended from her left eyebrow to her chin. Charlene wasn't sure when that had happened, but it wasn't deep, so she wasn't too worried—yet.

"Where are we going?" Jess wrapped an arm around Charlene's shoulder as Charlene was ushering her toward the south wall.

"Out of the temple." Charlene struggled to hold on to Jess. "Far away form here."

"What about the guys?"

"You're awake. Let's get you out first."

* * *

Willa had been attacked by two guards that had come out of no where. But they were no problem.

Willa had dodged a few fireballs from Maleficent. Those weren't the problem either.

Getting the journal from Tia Dalma while she was unleashing an evil spirit: that was the problem.

The foreign lady was reading the enchantment from the journal fluently. Willa figured she must have studied the language for years. _They had been planning this for a long time._

She stood five feet away from Tia Dalma and readied an arrow into her bow. If she could hit her in the leg, she could grab the journal before she finished.

She aimed the bow, pulled her arm back, but before she could release it, someone tackled her to the ground. The arrow went flying toward Tia Dalma, but did not hit her. Willa's attacker spun her around and she saw who it was.

But who was attacking her didn't matter. She kneed her attacker in the stomach, pushed him off of her and scrambled to get up. She reached for the arrow and stabbed Tia in the leg with it. She was attacked again, but this time Willa saw it coming and used her bow to whack her attacker on the side of the head.

Willa turned back to Tia Dalma and reached for the journal.

Tia Dalma stopped talking and smiled at Willa. The smile sent chills up her spine. The fact that she didn't seem to notice the arrow sticking out of her leg bothered Willa to no end.

"It is finished." She said in an accent that Willa had never heard before.

"What?" Willa grabbed the journal from her hands and stared down at the open page.

Willa had only held it for a second before a giant cloud of smoke burst up from the journal, almost knocking Willa to the ground.

The winds picked up, making it hard for Willa to stand still. Willa looked around for something that could help her, but her heart dropped in her chest when she saw the sun setting beyond the trees.

The cloud of smoke rose and formed into a bat-demon shape, at least that's what Willa thought it looked like. Its eyes shot open, revealing its glowing red eyes. It twisted so that it could look down at Willa.

They were too late. Maleficent had the evil spirit under her control and Willa was to be its first victim.

* * *

Finn turned to Maleficent just in time to see Dillard's hands being bound. His best friend was _not_ going to be the sacrifice. Finn wouldn't allow it.

He charged Maleficent. She must have sensed him coming because as soon as he got close enough to swing his sword at her, she held up one of her hands and he went flying five feet backwards.

He stood up and Maleficent turned to face him.

"I see our little prince has come to play."

"Let him go!" Finn pointed his sword in her direction. "Take me instead!"

She let out an evil laugh. "It doesn't matter _who_ dies."

"If you used me, you wouldn't have any threats to your kingdom! You could rule forever!"

"Oh you insolent fool! With the spirit of Chernabog on my side, I won't have any threats. You'll all be dead before the sun goes down."

She turned to the foreign woman who had just walked up to the table.

"I think it's time to start! The sun is down, the spirit is awakened, our sacrifice is here!"

Finn took the opportunity to strike. He walked up to her and turned her around with his free hand and held his sword right up against her stomach.

"Don't you dare touch him."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The foreign woman grabbed Dillard off the table and held a knife to his back. "I'll kill him if you touch her."

Dillard's mouth was gagged but his eyes were confusing Finn. One second they were pleading with him to let go of Maleficent, the next they were begging him to kill her and get it over with. Finn's head was spinning.

Maleficent had been the reason his father and grandfather were dead. She had ordered Willa's torture. She had kidnapped Jess. She had ordered Amanda to burn at the stake. She sent assassins to kill Charlene's parents. She had put a price on Captain Maybeck's head years ago. She had forced Philby into hiding. She had forced _him_ into hiding. And now her friend here had the nerve to threaten his best friend Dillard.

Finn had never felt more angry in his life.

"Let him go, or she dies!" Finn yelled back at Maleficent's friend.

Dillard's head shook. _What is he trying to say?_

"Let's not be rash here Prince Finnegan." Maleficent hissed into his ear.

"Order her to let him go!" He poked the sword into her chest and a small bit of green blood began to show itself. "NOW!"

Maleficent nodded to her friend who, in return, gave her a crooked smile.

Her friend leaned down to cut the ropes binding Dillard's hands. But at the last second she stabbed him in the chest instead. Dillard let out a muffled scream and crumbled to the ground

Finn immediately turned back to Maleficent and pushed his sword through the rest of her right side.

He leaned in, loving every second of pure horror on her face, and whispered: "Unlike you, I don't go back on my word."

* * *

The glowing red eyes bore down on Willa. She dropped the journal, but that didn't seem to make a difference to the evil spirit.

Tia Dalma walked over with a bloody knife in her hand. Willa's eyes went wide. She looked past the woman to see Finn scurry to get next to Dillard's limp body.

"You killed Dillard?" Willa's voice cracked. "How dare you!"

Tia Dalma didn't seem to notice Willa. She poked the bloody knife into the giant cloud of smoke and it was swallowed whole. Willa watched in shock as the evil spirit began taking on a flesh form. It had to be at least forty feet tall. The spirit stepped forward, off of the journal and Willa snapped out of her daze and picked it up.

Tia Dalma didn't seem to notice anything. She was too busy admiring her work with the evil spirit.

"Lord Chernabog is alive!" She yelled. Willa closed the journal and used it to knock Tia Dalma to the ground from behind. A loud _WHACK__!_ echoed through the temple.

"FINN!" Willa yelled. She needed somebody to help her with this so-called Lord Chernabog.

When Finn didn't answer, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Chernabog stared down at her with its glowing red eyes. It took Willa a second to realize it wasn't after her, but the journal. She glanced around for a place to run and her gaze ended on the cave entrance. She took off running toward it and at the last second, she threw the journal as hard as she could into the cave. She waited for Chernabog to get close enough before diving out of the way.

She scrambled up as Chernabog went into the cave entrance and ran over to Finn.

* * *

Finn pulled the sword out of Maleficent's stomach and ran to Dillard. He propped him up and saw that Dillard was still awake.

Finn pushed the gag out of his mouth and let it dangle around his neck loosely. Maleficent's friend was no where to be seen.

"Come on Dillard. Stay with me here. I'm going to get you out of here." Finn ripped off his jacket and placed it over Dillard's wound. He pushed down, applying pressure to the wound.

"Finn…" Dillard's weak voice called out.

"Stay with me Dillard! You've got to stay awake!"

"It hurts."

"I'm sorry Dillard. I'm truly sorry. I have to apply pressure."

Finn heard someone yell "Lord Chernabog is alive!" followed by a loud _WHACK! _that came from near the cave entrance. "FINN!" Willa's voice rang out. He could hear the fear and uncertainty in it, but he still focused on Dillard.

Dillard's eyes started to close. "No Dillard! Stay with me here! Wake up!"

Finn felt tears streaming down his face. Dillard's eyes fluttered open for a few seconds before speaking his last words.

"Finn…you're going to make an awesome king."

"Dillard, come on man. You know you'll be there to see that!"

"Amanda's a great girl. You two better get married." He coughed up blood. "If your kids are anything like her, you'll be golden." He gave Finn a weak smile before closing his eyes again.

"Come on man. Stay with me here." Finn's hand went to his cheek, giving him a light slap. "You've got to stay awake."

"I'm glad you were my friend Finn." Dillard whispered before body went rigid. Finn could feel the life go out of him.

"No, no, no, no, no." Finn shook Dillard a little. "Wake up Dillard."

When Dillard didn't move, Finn's emotions got the best of him. Tears escaped his cheek and fell onto Dillard's face.

"FINN!" Willa's voice called out, this time a lot closer. "Finn! You need to—"

Finn glanced up at her. She was standing only a few feet away, her eyes wide with shock. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Is he—?" She asked him quietly.

Finn nodded. Willa crouched beside Finn and placed a hand on his shoulder. And for a moment everything was quiet.

But then that moment ended.

* * *

**It was so hard writing this. I knew this was coming in the plot for a long time, but it's still so sad! **

**Nobody likes it when a character dies...sorry guys. **

**I'll do my best to have the next chapter up asap! Please review! **


	22. What a Bad Analogy

**Sorry for taking a long time updating, I'm pretty sure it's the longest time in between yet! That's my bad!**

**2100 views in 2 weeks! That's got to be some kind of record! **

**Y'all's reviews are simply _too_ nice! They make my day reading them! I hope y'all enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 22: What a Bad Analogy

A loud roar echoed from inside the caves. The spirit was deep inside now. Willa stood up and offered a hand to Finn.

"Finn, we need to get rid of that _thing_ before it comes out and kills us all."

Finn looked around at the temple. There were six people either dead or unconscious.

"Let's get the guys out of here first."

Willa nodded and they got to work. Finn scooped up Dillard in his arms and walked over to the south wall. After placing him on the ground on the other side of the wall as carefully as he could, he turned around to see Willa struggling to carry Philby.

After getting Philby and the captain over the wall, Charlene appeared out of no where with blood all over her hands, arms and clothes.

"What happened to you?" Willa asked her in a frustrated voice.

"Jess was bleeding pretty bad."

"I'd say so! Where is she now?"

"On the top of the cliff. I tried my best to wash off the blood but I didn't have that much water in my canteen." She glanced down and saw the three guys lying on the ground. "What happened to them?"

"Philby and Terry are unconscious. Dillard's…uh…"

"Dead." Finn's voice was monotone and completely lacking emotion.

"Oh." Charlene shifted awkwardly. "Do we go back to the ship now?"

Finn looked back at the cave. "Do you think we should just leave it in there?"

Willa wiped a tear from her cheek. "I think we should be good, but I'm going to grab the journal just in case." She put an arrow into her bow. "Be right back."

Finn grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. "No."

"But the journal—"

"It's over. The person who controls it is dead. It's not a threat anymore."

Willa studied Finn. "Finn, I just need to get the journal. If the threat's gone, what's the problem?"

This time, Finn studied Willa. He could see her desire to learn everything in that journal. She wanted this more than anything and Finn didn't want to stand in the way of that—especially since she's his best friend.

"Fine. But yell if you need help. Promise?"

She smiled at him. "Promise."

Finn watched as she ran off toward the cave in a daze. His whole body was numb. His best friend had just died in front of him and now his other one was running off to grab a journal in a cave where an evil spirit was lurking. He couldn't lose her too. No one else needed to die on this mission.

Charlene's cough brought him out of his daze.

"You want to help me carry these guys up to Jess?"

"Uh…yeah…sure."

* * *

Charlene and Finn had gotten the three bodies up to Jess at the top of the cliff. After explaining what had happened and where Willa had gone, the three sat in silence. Jess' head had finally stopped feeling like it weighed a million tons and her vision was finally back to normal.

Jess watched Charlene as she knelt beside Terry. Her light blue tank top was stained with Jess' blood. Her hair was pulled back in a rough ponytail, but a lot of the hair had fallen out. The leather jacket she had given Jess earlier had eleven cuts. Looking at Charlene now, Jess could see the scratches on her arm that matched the cuts on her jacket. Both of Charlene's hands were grasping one of Terry's as if her life depended on it. Tears were slowly falling down her cheeks as she watched Terry's chest rise and fall.

Finn, on the other hand, looked flat out miserable. He was sitting on a rock, overlooking the temple, waiting for Willa to come out of the temple. It might have been just Jess, but she thought he looked about as dead as Dillard. _Wow, what a bad analogy, _she scolded herself. His hands were shaking and his skin was pale. He looked miserable—no, more than miserable, if that was even possible.

He perked up a little when someone came out of the cave. Jess figured it was Willa. Finn watched Willa intently as she made her way up to the group.

"Hey." She said with a smile, everything from the waist up covered in dirt. "Look what I got." She held up the journal and Finn almost smiled. She wiped some dirt off her forehead.

"Let's head back then." Finn got up and scooped up Dillard. Jess got up and walked toward the edge of the cliff so that she could look down at the temple one last time. Her dizzy head caused her to stumble while she walked.

"How are we going to get the boys back? Jess can barely walk, so she can't carry anybody and there's no way Willa and I will be able to carry those two!" Charlene protested. "No offense, Willa."

"None taken, but she has a point Finn."

"There's a cart down there." Jess pointed to the cart not too far away from the west wall.

"I think I can carry Terry that far. Willa?" Charlene got up and brushed herself off.

"Yeah, that's not too far." Willa grabbed Jess and helped her down the cliff toward the cart, returning a few minutes later to grab Philby. Charlene followed her, struggling to carry Terry.

When all three bodies were on the cart, Finn got behind and started pushing. They had a long way to go.

* * *

Amanda sat up in her bed. It was the middle of the night and none of her friends had come back yet. She had just woken up from a horrible nightmare of Finn dying at the hands of Maleficent.

She was feeling better, but she was also feeling worse. Her stomach had stopped hurting and the feeling of nausea had subsided—so in that way she was feeling better physically. Emotionally, though, she was a wreck. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone wasn't going to make it back from the island alive. She hoped and prayed it wasn't Finn.

Within a few minutes she had made her way up to the top deck, where she saw the rest of her group.

Charlene and Willa were both hovering over unconscious bodies, trying to pour water into their mouths. It took Amanda a few seconds to realize the bodies belonged to Philby and Terry.

Charlene didn't have her jacket, her shirt was covered in blood and her arms decorated with cuts and scrapes. Willa's face, arms and shirt were covered in dirt with a few scratches here and there. Jess was sitting on the deck, leaning her head back against the railing with Charlene's jacket draped over her chest like a blanket. There was a giant gash from her left eyebrow to her chin—just like in her drawing.

There was a third body, but there was a blanket pulled over it. Finn and Dillard were no where to be found. Amanda's heart sank in her chest.

She slowly made her way across the top deck toward the blanket-covered body. She knelt down and slowly removed the blanket off of the person, revealing Dillard's dead body.

Amanda didn't realize she was crying until she saw a tear fall off her face and hit Dillard's cheek. Someone she had only met just weeks ago was now dead.

A hand suddenly appeared on her shoulder, causing her to jump. She turned around and saw Finn standing there.

"He's…he's…" She began to say, but the tears took over. Finn nodded and offered her a hand to help her up. Instead of just standing there, Finn pulled Amanda into a hug. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer than she thought possible. She could feel his chest rise and fall. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed his head in the crook of her neck. His tears were staining the collar of her shirt.

"I'm glad you're alive Finn. I don't know what I would have done without you." She whispered into his ear.

"I love you Amanda." At least that's what she thought he said. His voice was muffled by her shirt.

"I love you too." She pulled back a little and Finn lifted his head. Their foreheads were touching.

"I lost my best friend today." One of his hands moved to her stomach. "At least I didn't lose you two."

"You're never going to lose me Finn." She kissed him on the lips and quickly went back to hugging him. She had no intention of letting go of him anytime soon.

* * *

Charlene's mind was racing. Terry was lying unconscious in front of her. He was breathing but no matter what she did, he wouldn't wake up. The last thing they needed was to lose two more people. She wasn't going to give Maleficent and her allies the satisfaction.

She glanced up from Terry for one second to see Finn and Amanda kissing. She was glad that Finn was happy with her, but she knew there was something up between those two. Ever since they showed up at the beach with Jess, the couple had been acting really strange. Charlene couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Seeing them kiss gave Charlene an idea. She looked back at Terry. _It couldn't be that simple._

"Hey Willa. I have a crazy idea."

Willa, who had obviously been crying, glanced up at her with a confused look.

"It's crazy enough it might just work."

"What is it?"

The name of the tale wasn't coming to Charlene, but she figured if she described it well enough, Willa would remember. "Ever hear of the fairy tale of the exiled princess and her seven dwarf friends?"

"She eats a poison apple and goes into a deep sleep that can only be broken by true love's kiss." Willa glanced down at Philby, then back at Charlene. "What does this have to do with them?"

"They weren't knocked out, they were force fed some kind of potion…possibly poison."

Willa's eyes went wide. "You don't think?"

"It's worth a try. If it doesn't work…no harm, no foul?"

Willa thought about it. In the limited amount of moonlight, Charlene could see the worry lines on her face. She figured her face looked the exact same way. This _had_ to work. What else could save them?

"On three?" Charlene asked her, to which Willa responded with a nod.

"One…two…three…"

Charlene leaned down and kissed Terry on the lips and prayed for a miracle.

* * *

**Well, we haven't had a good cliffhanger in a while, I figured now would be a good place to put one. **

**Please review! There's 100+ so far! Talk about AWESOME! **


	23. Heart of the Queen

**Thanks for all the great reviews! Y'all are way too nice, seriously! **

**This chapter's a little short, but that doesn't mean it's not good ;)**

**Here we go, chapter 23! :)**

* * *

Chapter 23: Heart of the Queen

Charlene had barely taken her lips off of his when he woke up.

"Charlie?" His weak voice was so uncharacteristic of him, but Charlene couldn't help but smile.

"You're awake!" She helped him sit up before tackling him in a hug.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Charlene pulled out of the hug and slapped him across the face. "Don't you dare do that to me again! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry?" She took his confusion as a good sign and hugged him again. "I won't let it happen again…uh…what did I do again?"

She laughed. "It doesn't matter. Want to start sailing back home? I'd rather not stay here."

"You don't want to build a summer home here?" He joked as she helped him up. He walked up to the steering wheel and called out to the crew that they were leaving for Florida.

* * *

After seeing Charlene's kiss bring Terry out of unconsciousness, Willa stared down at Philby. _Could it really be that simple?_

She kissed him softly. Before getting back to her sitting position, she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to see Philby struggling to sit up, using her arm for balance.

"Why do you have dirt all over you?" He asked her with a concerned voice. She couldn't help but smile. He had just been unconscious for hours but that didn't matter to him. He was worried about her.

"I went into the cave to retrieve the journal. No big."

"So does that mean that Maleficent's…gone?"

"Finn stabbed her."

"Oh. I must have been out of it for a long time." He placed a hand on his forehead. "Wow my head hurts."

"Come on, let's get you below decks." She helped him up and wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him steady.

* * *

Willa walked into the cabin with a glass of water. She set the glass on the bedside table and sat down on the bed by his knees. Philby hadn't noticed this before, but she wasn't using her left hand at all. He watched her as she stared at it, trying to move it in different directions, wincing every time.

"Willa, you're hurt." Philby sat up and reached for her wrist but she moved her hand out of the way.

"It's nothing."

"No it's not." He grabbed her wrist and she immediately winced. He examined her hand and wrist before coming to a conclusion. "You sprained your wrist. What happened?"

"I…I was in the cave and it was dark and I tripped over a rock and landed on my wrist."

"I should get you some ice for that." He started to get up, but Willa pushed him back down onto the bed.

"No Philby. You need to rest. Let me get it."

She hurried out of the room and came back a few minutes later without any ice. She sat back down on the bed, this time a little bit closer to Philby.

"They didn't have any ice. I'll get something to wrap it up in the morning."

"Okay." Philby wasn't completely convinced, but he decided not to question her. They sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes before Willa got up to leave, saying goodnight.

"Willa, wait." She turned around to face him in the doorway. "Why don't you sleep in here tonight?"

He felt himself blushing while he waited for her response. Philby sat and watched as Willa closed the door, walked over to the other side of the bed and got underneath the covers. She moved close to him and placed her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Night Philby."

"Goodnight sweetheart." He whispered to her before drifting to sleep.

* * *

_Two Days Later_

"Oh it feels so good to be home!" Charlene exclaimed as she twirled around in the grand hall of the castle. She turned to the first maid she saw and announced a grand ball tonight. After the maid scurried off to spread the news, Charlene led the rest of the group into the dining hall for a late breakfast.

After all seven had began to eat, Charlene broke the silence hanging over them.

"I asked a servant to go into town to get the nicest coffin he could find for Dillard. I presume you want to have the funeral back in California."

Finn nodded. "Thank you Charlene. It means a lot."

"It's the least I could do. Please let me know when the funeral is. I want to be there."

There was another few minutes of silence before Amanda suddenly dropped her fork and gripped the table. Finn snapped to attention and placed a hand on her lower back.

"Amanda? Are you okay?" Willa asked with a sincere concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I just…don't feel too good. That's all."

"Maybe you should rest some more." Jess suggested. "There's a bedroom near here, right Charlene?"

"Of course! You've been sick for some time now, maybe you've caught something. If you're still not feeling well Amanda, I can get a doctor to come check on you. "

"No!" Finn, Amanda and Jess all screamed in unison, surprising the rest of the group.

"What's going on?" Philby put down his silverware.

Finn glanced at Jess, hoping she would come up with something fast, but she was giving him the same look. Amanda finally let go of the table and sat up a little bit straighter.

"It's about time they find out." Amanda said quietly to Finn and Jess.

"Time we find out what?" The captain's frustrated voice was a little louder than it should have been.

"I'm…pregnant."

Charlene, Philby and the captain's eyes went wide. All three of them in shock. Willa, on the other hand, glanced from Amanda to Finn suspiciously.

After studying the couple for a few seconds, Willa broke the silence with a simple question. "Is it Finn's?"

Amanda nodded and Willa's face lit up.

"Finn! You're going to be a dad! That's the best news we've had in weeks!" She got up, came over to the other side of the table and gave both Finn and Amanda big hugs.

"You're not shocked or mad?" Finn asked his best friend. He was expecting her to slap him or something.

"No! Of course not!" She turned to Amanda. "How far along are you?"

"I'd say two weeks or so."

"Looks like we've got more to celebrate than defeating Maleficent!" Charlene added. "Congratulations you two." She gave Finn a warm smile. He made a mental note to thank her _again_ for letting him out of their marriage alliance.

* * *

Terry felt like a whole different person entering the ballroom for the second time. The first time he had been miserable. He had fallen hard for the queen but he was also haunted by the memories of Jess.

This time he felt confident. He had been able to finally get closure with Jess. They had beaten Maleficent—well technically Finn had, but the captain wouldn't admit that out loud.

As he spun Charlene around on the dance floor, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked. She was wearing a short-sleeved yellow dress that extended to the floor, her hair pulled back into a braid with her tiara to top it off.

The song changed and now a slower song was being played. Terry took the opportunity to pull her closer.

"So now that we've got Finn his throne back, what are you going to do?" She asked him, her eyes sparkling up at him.

"I thought about going back to being a pirate."

"That would only make sense." For a second there, she sounded disappointed.

"But I'm not so sure anymore."

She perked up. "So what are you going to do?"

"I might finally settle down. Find myself a nice girl. You know, boring stuff. I think I've had enough adventure for a while."

"You know, Florida looks beautiful this time of year."

"I hear their queen is the hottest girl all the kingdoms." He winked at her.

"I also hear she's fallen for someone."

"Oh really?" He asked sarcastically. "And who would the lucky guy be?"

"I hear she fell in love with a pirate." She winked at him.

"Oh, how scandalous!" She burst out into laughter. The captain couldn't help but pride himself on that. As long as he could make her laugh, he knew they would be the perfect couple.

She composed herself. "So why don't you stay here in Florida…you know…with me?"

"With you?" He pretended to consider the offer. He already knew his answer, but he was having a great time watching her reaction. "I guess I'll stay here."

Without warning, Charlene leaned up and kissed him.

"Well somebody's excited about me staying!" He joked when she ended the kiss.

"I've never been more excited." She smiled and he pulled her in for another kiss. He knew everybody in the ballroom was probably looking at them, but he didn't care. He had won the heart of the queen—and that's all that mattered.

Their kiss only lasted a few seconds before a giant blast was heard in the distance. Charlene and Terry shared a confused look. The musicians had stopped playing and everyone in the ballroom was staring at each other. The ambience of confusion only lasted for a few seconds before a giant cannonball burst through the tall windows and landed in the middle of the ballroom-only twenty feet from Charlene and Terry.

And that's when the ballroom became the first battleground of an all new war.

* * *

**Just when you think they get a break...BOOM! A cannonball flies through the ballroom windows! Talk about plot twist! **

**Any ideas of who's firing at Queen Charlene's castle? I guess you'll have to find out next chapter! Or will you? Hmm...**

**Ha! Please review! I love reading them! I'll do my best to have the next chapter up soon! :)**


	24. Haunting Us Beyond the Grave

**So apparently it's possible to ruin a moment perfectly? I didn't know that was even possible, but I'm going to take that as a compliment (thanks **her-eyes-fiery-pinpricks**!) **

**Here we go, chapter 24! **

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Chapter 24: Haunting Us Beyond the Grave

Terry and Charlene scrambled to get to their feet. By the time they both realized they were both okay, a second cannonball went straight through another window, this time over in the corner.

Charlene and Terry turned just in time to see the giant Greek column wobble before falling down. The column came crashing down right on top of one of the two thrones lining the wall opposite of the windows, effectively blocking the only entrance to the room.

They were trapped.

"Charlene! Let's go!" Terry grabbed her by her forearm and ran toward the windows.

Through all the chaos in the room, the captain heard someone yell "Terry!" behind him. He turned to see Willa struggling to keep Philby standing up straight. Her dress had a few tears in it, but she was covered in dirt and splattered in blood. Philby, on the other hand, had a piece of the window stuck in his left leg.

"What's going on?" Jess ran up to the two couples. "Philby! You're leg! Amanda! Where's Amanda and Finn?" She turned to search the room, but Terry caught her before she went anywhere.

"You can't go back there! If another one comes, that's where it'll hit!"

"What if Amanda and Finn are hurt?"

"I'll go look! You stay here!" Terry pushed past Jess but was stopped when someone grabbed his arm.

"I'm coming with you!" Charlene yelled at him.

There was another blast in the distance. "ON THE FLOOR!" Philby yelled out and all five dove on the floor.

A third cannonball went straight through the windows again, but this time hitting the far wall, causing tons of stones to fall down. There was now a giant hole where the cannonball had hit.

Terry scrambled up and turned toward Jess.

"Where did you last see them?"

"What?" Jess cupped a hand by her ear. "What did you say?"

"WHERE DID YOU LAST SEE AMANDA AND FINN?" The captain didn't think he could get any louder.

"Over by the thrones!" Jess yelled back. Charlene took off before Terry could protest her coming. The two pushed through people and dodged fallen stones and broken glass.

It took them longer than it should have to get across the ballroom, but when they got there Terry's heart dropped.

One throne was smashed by the Greek column. The other had a few stones from the wall behind it denting it. Lying near the throne was someone lying facedown with everything below their waist crushed underneath one large stone. Next to that person was a very tan girl with dark hair. _Amanda_.

"AMANDA!" Terry ran over to her and helped her up.

"Finn won't wake up! I can't get the stone off of him! He can't be dead! He can't be!" She was in hysterics. Tears were streaming down her face and she couldn't stop shaking. Charlene grabbed her and tried to calm her down—but it wasn't any use. Unless they could get some proof that Finn was alive, she wasn't going to stop.

Terry ran over to the stone on Finn's legs and pushed as hard as he could. It didn't budge. He turned around and pushed with his back. It didn't budge. He turned to Charlene and Amanda.

"I need help!"

Both girls ran over and the three of them pushed as hard as they could. It took them a while, but the stone finally slid off of Finn and landed on the ground with a loud _THUD!_

"Finn!" Amanda flipped him over and tried to wake him up. "Come on! Wake up!"

Charlene put her head on his chest. "He's breathing!"

"That's good enough for me!" Terry reached down and threw Finn over his shoulders. "Let's get back!"

Charlene headed toward the windows, dragging Amanda with her. Terry followed quickly behind them.

When they were about half way, a fourth cannonball went through the windows and flew straight over their heads, landing only a few feet behind Terry and Finn.

"They _seriously_ need to stop doing that!" Terry muttered under his breath. "I mean, come on!"

By the time they got back to the windows, they were all back to standing positions. Philby was leaning very heavily on Willa. The glass was not sticking out of his leg anymore. In its place was a part of his sleeve wrapped around his leg.

"What happened to Finn?" Jess yelled out. Her face was screaming horror and fear, but her eyes were filled with concern. _That's exactly how she looked the night of the raid three years ago_, the captain remembered. He quickly pushed that horrific memory away.

"No time to talk! We need to get out of here!"

"We can't! The exits are blocked!" Willa yelled. Philby tried to take a step forward, but fell—and he almost brought Willa down with him.

"The ballroom isn't too far off the street. We can climb down!" Charlene headed toward a broken window. "It's like maybe ten feet!"

"How is Philby going to get down there?" Jess asked Charlene.

"I can do it. Don't worry about me." Philby yelled back. Why the room was _still_ so loud confused Terry.

"What about Finn?" Amanda asked, glancing back at him.

"I'll have to go down with him on my back." Terry replied.

One by one they all made their way out of the window and down the short stone wall. Charlene had gone last, after informing as many people as she could inside the ballroom of their escape route.

Upon reaching the cobblestone street below, they saw who was firing at them. There was a ship, similar to the captain's, in the harbor.

But it wasn't just any ship. It was one of Maleficent's.

* * *

"Admiral! Shall we fire a fifth cannonball?" A sailor from behind asked in a shaky voice.

"No! Orders are four cannonballs at the castle. And four only!" The admiral turned around and walked to the steering wheel. "We've done our work here boys, let's head home!"

A second sailor ran up to the admiral right as he got to the wheel. "Admiral, sir, there's another ship in the harbor. We believe it belongs to Captain Maybeck, the notoriously ruthless pirate, sir."

The admiral thought about it for a second. He had been losing his ships to the pirate for years now. This is the perfect chance for revenge. But it seemed too easy to take the ship now. He wanted a challenge.

"Leave it! Orders are just to attack the castle! We sail out immediately!" He waved the sailor off and his second-in-command came up next to him.

"Sir, I believe leaving this opportunity untouched would be a horrible mistake."

"Oh we're going to get revenge on Captain Maybeck. Word has it he's been helping the prince get his throne back from Maleficent. So sooner or later, they'll head back to California. And we'll be waiting for them."

As the sailors prepared the ship to depart the harbor, the admiral pulled aside one of them and started whispering. "I want you to stay here in Florida and make sure that the captain comes back with his ship. I've been hearing rumors that he might stay due to his little infatuation with the queen." He pulled the sailor closer to him by his shirt. "Make sure he's on that ship when I send it to Davy Jones' locker."

"Yes sir!" The admiral let go of the sailor and he hurried to get off of the boat. The admiral walked back up to the steering wheel and sighed with relief. He would finally get revenge on Captain Maybeck—and possibly get rid of the threat of Prince Finnegan at the same time.

_Maleficent is going to love me for this!_

* * *

Instead of dealing with the ship immediately, the group decided to go back into the castle—obviously not the same way they left. They made their way to the queen's bedroom and Terry laid Finn down on the bed. Amanda pulled in a chair from the adjacent sitting room and sat down beside him.

Willa sat down on the couch in the sitting room and Philby laid down, placing his head in her lap. Jess, Charlene and the captain had all plopped down in chairs all around the room.

They all sat in silence for what seemed like eons to Philby. The captain sat forward in his chair.

"Is anybody going to mention the elephant in the room here?" The captain asked the group.

"And what is that?" Jess asked sarcastically. She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, extending her hand so that her head could rest there.

"The fact that we have no idea what's going on and Shark Fin is knocked out!"

"What I don't understand is why Maleficent's ships are attacking _my_ castle! She's dead!" Charlene blurted out. It might have just been Philby, but it seemed like she had been crying during their moments of silence earlier.

"She must have gave an order to attack on a certain day—with or without her." Willa said as she placed one of her hands on top of Philby's.

"How are we going to get back to California if they're sitting in the harbor?" Jess pointed with her free arm toward the harbor.

"My ship?" The captain's tone of voice suggested that he thought Jess had just asked the dumbest question.

"Assuming it's still there." Philby said as he shifted to a sitting position. He pulled a table nearby closer to the couch and propped his feet up on it. He draped an arm over Willa's shoulders.

"It better be there! If they sank my ship I'll blow them all up!"

"Sure you will." Charlene rolled her eyes and stood up. "I'm going to go check on the damage in the ballroom and make sure everybody got out. Does anybody want to come with?"

"I'll go," said Terry very unenthusiastically. He got up and followed her out of the room.

Jess glanced toward Philby and Willa and raised an eyebrow. "I'll…uh…go with them." She got up and hurried out of the room.

"What was that about?" Willa asked Philby.

"Who cares? You and I are alone now, which hasn't happened a lot lately. I'm not complaining." He kissed her on the top of her head.

She stifled a laugh. "How's your leg doing?"

"It's fine."

She turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

"Yes sweetheart. Don't you worry about me."

"You always say that, but it doesn't make me feel any better."

"As long as I'm around, you should never have to worry about anything." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was still perfection.

"You're very convincing, Dell Philby." Her smile melted away all doubts, fears and worries Philby ever had.

* * *

Amanda sat there holding Finn's hand. It had been at least an hour and he hadn't woken up yet. Every second that passed added to her worry. She kept replaying the scene in the ballroom over and over in her head.

_Amanda and Finn were dancing to the music, just as every other couple was. Every few minutes, some Floridian noble would ask Finn why he wasn't marrying Queen Charlene, but he handled their questions with grace. Amanda couldn't help but think how wonderful he was going to be as king. All they had to do was get back to California. They were so close. _

_After yet another Floridian noble had finally left Finn alone, Finn returned to dancing with Amanda. _

_"So Amanda, I probably should have said this earlier, but you look absolutely stunning tonight." He smiled at her with one of his signature smiles._

_"You already said that to me…four times." She smiled back._

_"And I'll keep saying it until you believe it!" She let out a small laugh and Finn twirled her around._

_"There's been something I've been meaning to ask you Amanda. But I haven't had the time to until now."_

_"What is that?"_

_"When we get back to California and I take back the throne, I'll have to find myself a queen."_

_"Yes?" _

_"And I was thinking I should probably have my queen all ready to go, so that we can get married before the coronation. And if you do that, the king and queen will get crowned together, making it a _much_ easier for everyone."_

_"So you're saying you want to get married first, _then_ take the throne back?"_

_"Exactly, I'm glad you understand. So that brings me to my question."_

_"Yes?" Amanda's stomach was filled with butterflies. She knew where this was going and was having a hard time containing her excitement. She could have sworn she heard a loud blast in the distance, but her focus moved back to Finn as he got down on one knee. _

_"Amanda, will you—" _BOOM!

_The first cannonball blasted through the windows, landing right in the middle of the ballroom. _

_"Over here!" Finn got up and pulled Amanda toward the back wall. A few seconds later a second cannonball slammed into one of the Greek columns, causing it to fall in front of the main entrance to the room and smashing into the throne not only five feet away from them._

_"Finn! __That was our only entrance!" _

_He grabbed her head with both of his hands. "I'm going to find a way out, I promise!" He kissed her passionately._

_Upon letting go, he helped her move across crushed throne, in the direction of the second when a third cannonball slammed into the back wall, creating a huge hole and causing tons of stones to fall. _

_Amanda felt someone push her forward with a great amount of force. She turned around to see Finn lying facedown with a giant stone covering his legs. _

_"Finn!" She ran to him but saw that he was already unconscious—maybe even dead. "No, no, no, no, no!"_

Amanda was brought out of her thoughts by Finn's stirring in the bed. She looked up at him just in time for him to open his eyes.

"Amanda?" His weak voice scared her a little.

"I'm right here Finn." She gripped his hand tighter. "How are you feeling?"

"My legs hurt, but otherwise I'm fine. Is everyone else okay?"

"Philby got some glass caught in his leg, but otherwise we're all fine. You gave me quite the scare there."

"Sorry about that." He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Are you okay?

"Just fine. You pushed me out of the way. It was supposed to be me that got crushed." A tear fell down her cheek. Finn reached up with his other hand and used his thumb to wipe it off.

"I'd do it for you all over again if I had to." He tried to sit up, but the pain got to him and he gave up. "Do you know who was attacking?" Amanda could tell he was trying so hard not to cry from the pain.

"I think Terry said it was Maleficent's ships."

"Oh great." He rolled his eyes. "She's still haunting us beyond the grave."

"But you have the throne now. I thought I saw Terry's boat still in the harbor, so we still have a way home. All we have to do is get you to your throne and it's yours forever."

"Ours." He croaked out as he tried to sit up again.

"What?" Amanda helped him to a sitting position.

"Our throne, Amanda."

"What do you mean? I'm not the queen!"

"I didn't ask you, did I? Crap, I just ruined that moment." He scolded himself.

"You were about to ask me. The cannonballs cut you off."

"Talk about horrible timing." He shook his head. "I was going to ask you to marry me Amanda. I couldn't think of anyone better to be my queen."

She studied him. Earlier that night she was so ready to say yes, but now that he had actually asked her, she was nervous. It's not that she didn't love Finn—because she did—she was just scared for the future. She was pregnant, and if she married Finn, their child would be the next in line to the throne. _Talk about a lot of pressure to raise a child the right way._

"So…what do you say?" He asked her in a quiet but caring voice.

She knew what the right answer was. Her face slowly turned into a smile. "Yes."

Despite Finn being in a lot of pain, he managed to lean forward far enough to give her a hug and a quick kiss on the lips.

"So I hear there's a royal wedding _and_ a coronation coming soon?" Jess' voice came from behind her. Amanda turned around to see her sister standing in the doorway. "It's about time you ask her, you idiot!"

"I'm going to forget you just called the king of California an idiot." Finn said with a smile.

"You shouldn't forget! Somebody needs to keep the king's ego in check!" Jess crossed the room and stood behind Amanda. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for both of you. But Amanda, if I'm not the maid of honor, I'll have some issues with the new royal couple."

"Was there ever a doubt you'd be the maid of honor?" Amanda said as she hugged Jess.

"There better not have been!" Jess leaned over and gave Finn a hug. "If you hurt her, I promise I'll hurt you."

When she let go of him, he stared at her with shock. Amanda laughed at the two. Jess had always been a little overprotective of her older sister.

"Oh good you're awake!" The captain walked into the room with Charlene not far behind. "Good news! My ship's in great condition so you five can sail out in the morning!"

"Wait? You're not coming? It's _your_ ship!" Jess protested.

"I've got plans to stay in Florida for a while." He wrapped his arms around Charlene's waist from behind.

"Sounds like fun, captain." Finn winked at the captain. "We're going to miss you two in California. Thanks for all the help. If you ever need anything—and I mean_ anything_—please let me know. I'd be more than happy to help."

"I'll be sure to take you up on that Finn." Charlene added. "I hear there's a royal wedding _and_ a coronation coming soon? We better be the one of the first invitations!"

"Of course!" Amanda said with a smile.

"Great! Now, Finn, if you don't mind sweetie…you're uh…lying in my bed."

"Oh! Here, let me get up." Amanda rushed to his side and helped him up.

"There's a guest bedroom right across the hall that's fit for a king." Charlene said with a wink.

"Thanks Charlene, really. I don't think I could ever repay you for what you've done. You too, captain."

"Don't mention it Shark Fin. We'll see you in the morning for your send off."

Amanda helped Finn into the bed in the guest bedroom across the hall. He fell asleep almost immediately. Jess and Amanda made their own beds with the many chairs in the adjacent sitting room.

Tomorrow they would be headed home. For the first time in a long time, Amanda was having trouble keeping a smile off of her face.

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**Alright! Y'all know what's coming: please review! I love reading them!**


	25. Go On the Offense

**Sorry it took me so long to update! My procrastinating side came back and I kept putting it off as long as possible. Thanks for all the great reviews so far!**

**I sure hope y'all like this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it!**

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Chapter 25: Go On the Offense

_Two Days Later_

"Oh come on Terry! You must have some crazy stories about those years as a pirate!"

Terry rolled his eyes. Charlene had been at this for some time now. For some weird reason she wanted him to tell her all about the three years he was a pirate. But that was the _last_ thing he wanted to do.

"I don't think so Charlie. You don't want to hear those stories. They're all stupid. Like I already told you…"

"Oh please. Pirate stories are always full of adventure! I haven't heard a good story in a long time. And the best part about yours," she nudged him, "is that it'll be true!"

"Fine!" He got up from the dining table to refill his glass. An idea came to him. _Oh, this is going to be too good._ "But don't bother waking me up when you can't sleep at night." He sat back down and took a sip of his water.

"I don't get scared, Terry. Tell me the scariest story you've got!" She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Her whole demeanor was challenging him. He wanted to blow her challenge out of the water—and if he scared her, that would just be a bonus. If there was one thing that was still the same about him from his three years at sea, it was that he _never_ backs down from a challenge.

"Alright. We were on the open ocean one time—not too far away from Florida, now that I think of it—and something hit the boat from behind in the middle of the night."

"What was it?"

"I'm getting there!" He took another sip of water. "Now at first, we figured we might have hit a reef or something, but land wasn't anywhere nearby. Then it happened again, this time the boat shook so much, a few of our crew members got knocked off. They were in the water for only a few seconds before they disappeared. Even though it was night, you could still see the ocean turn red around them."

"Oh my gosh! What was it?" Her hands gripped the arms of the chair and her eyes went wide.

"I'm getting there!" He let out a little smile. He had already won the challenge. "After the few crew members went overboard, there was complete silence for a few minutes. Nobody knew what had hit us. But then, the ship was hit again so hard that it broke a hole in the ship's haul. The next thirty minutes or so everybody kept falling overboard and the ship shook as it sank down to Davy Jones' locker."

"What's Davy Jones' locker?"

"It's the bottom of the ocean."

"Oh. So did anyone make it out alive?" She was completely wrapped up in the story. _Now for the good part._

"I was the only one. After everybody had either drowned or been eaten by whatever that _thing_ was, the ship was completely torn to pieces. I was hanging on to a small plank and I swear I saw a giant shark fin disappear into the water. Nobody ever believes me though, since I was the only survivor, but I'll keep swearing that's what happened 'til the day I die!"

"You're saying a giant shark did that to you and your ship? And you just _happened_ to be the only survivor?" Charlene's grip on the chair's arms loosened. "That doesn't make any sense."

He put his right leg on top of the table and pulled his pant leg up, revealing a scar five inches in length on his ankle. "What do you think gave me this?"

Charlene stared at the scar in awe. "No way!" A hand covered her mouth. "You're saying this is all _true_?"

He nodded, trying to keep a smile off his face. _This is just too easy._

After a few seconds of watching her, he came to the conclusion he had had enough fun. He burst out into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"I got that scar from a bar fight back a year ago. There's no such thing as a giant man-eating shark in the ocean." He kept laughing. "You should have seen your face! You were so scared!"

Charlene smacked his arm and then crossed her arms, glaring at him. "That's not funny! I honestly believed you!"

"I told you that you didn't want to hear my stories! I decided to have a little fun with you." He winked at her.

"You're a jerk!" She stood up and walked out of the room. He got up and followed her.

"You asked for it." He whispered to her when he got to her side. She wrapped her arm in his and continued walking.

"So that really didn't happen?"

"Nope. It's an old legend that's been told by pirates for who knows how long! There might be some truth to it, but I've never even seen a baby shark—much less a giant one!"

Before Charlene could reply to that, a guard ran up to her and bowed.

"Your majesty, there is a someone in the grand hall that is asking for a private audience with you and the captain."

"Who is it?"

"I do not know. But he says its urgent."

Charlene and Terry shared a look of confusion before following the guard into the grand hall.

* * *

"When are we going to get to California? This trip is taking forever!" Jess asked Finn. They were both standing against the railing at the bow of the ship. It was late afternoon on their second day of the journey. The sun was going to set in a few hours, giving the sky a beautiful orange glow.

Finn shrugged. "Probably tomorrow."

"Then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well we can't just waltz in there and say you're the king. Maleficent's probably still got a lot of her soldiers there."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I could sneak you into the castle and have you talk to Wanda. I'm sure she's got a plan."

Finn turned to face her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second. She's been in the castle this entire time?"

"Yeah? Where else would she be?"

"I don't know…somewhere _not_ in Maleficent's castle! Where could she have possibly stayed without getting caught?"

"You know the secret passage underneath the throne room?"

Finn's eyes went wide. He remembered the exact place Jess was talking about. His dad had shown it to him the day before he was killed. He nodded.

"Well that's where she's been all this time."

"You're telling me that my aunt's been underneath Maleficent this whole time but didn't say or do anything?"

"She didn't say or do anything Finn because she was waiting on you. You're the one that had to overthrow Maleficent."

"And how come it _had_ to be me? Why couldn't it have been her?"

"Wanda was never queen and you know that. She was simply keeping things in order until you got old enough. The throne wasn't hers to take."

"What about this mysterious sister of mine? The one that my dad told me about? Is she still alive?"

Jess thought about it. "I think she's still alive. Wanda acted like she was when she told me."

"Do you know her name? All I know is that she's seventeen months younger than me and that my dad gave her away."

Jess shook her head. Finn glanced off into the distance and thought he saw something on the horizon. He squinted and realized he wasn't just seeing things.

On the horizon in the direction they were headed was a black shadow.

"Jess, do you see that?" Finn pointed to the shadow.

"What is that?"

"I don't know."

Jess squinted, trying to get a better look. "It kind of looks like a ship."

Finn squinted and saw a black and green flag flying high on the mast. _Maleficent._ "Didn't Captain Maybeck say Maleficent's ship was the one that bombed Charlene's castle?"

Jess' eyes went wide. "Is that _the_ ship?"

"Yeah. And we're headed straight for it."

Finn turned around to the crew doing various jobs around the ship. He started walking across the top deck toward the steering wheel.

"ALL HANDS ON DECK! PREPARE THE CANNONS!"

Finn pointed to one of the sailors nearest to him. "Make this ship go as fast as possible!" He pointed to the ship on the horizon. "We need to catch up to that ship before nightfall!"

"Yes sir!" The sailor ran off.

"RAISE THE SAILS!" Finn yelled as he raced up the stairs to the steering wheel.

Amanda and Philby came up to the top deck and came over to Finn.

"What's going on?" Philby asked Finn. "Why are we picking up speed and preparing the cannons?"

"See that ship on the horizon?" Finn asked as he turned the giant wooden steering wheel with both hands.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with us?"

"It's the one that bombed the castle."

"How do you know?"

"It has Maleficent's flag on it."

"What?" Amanda blurted out. "Finn, we can't fight them! Look what they did to Charlene's castle! We'll all die! Can't we just sail around it?"

"We can't sail around it. It's the open ocean, Amanda. They'll see us no matter where we go. We have to be prepared for a fight."

"What if they sink the boat? How are we going to get to California then?"

"They won't sink us. We're ready for them this time."

* * *

Willa sat on her bed with the journal open in front of her. For the past two days, every free moment had been spent studying it. So far she had been able to decipher some of the pages using a code that she had found stuffed into one of the pages.

The page in front of her was all about ancient legends of the sea. She was captivated by the legends: giant octopuses swallowing ships whole, mermaids and underwater caves.

The one that caught her attention was the legend of a pirate ship being attacked by an unknown creature. The sole survivor of the attack was spared by the creature and floated away on a small wooden plank. The pirate claimed that he saw a giant shark fin swim away at the end of the attack.

Willa couldn't help but wonder if it was true. Of course deep down she knew it wasn't real, but something about this tale was screaming truth.

She heard people rushing by the door and closed the journal. She got up, placed the journal under his pillow and walked out of her cabin. Every person on the ship was running past her, trying to get up to the top deck. She made it up to the top deck to see the crew preparing the ship for battle. She searched the ship for her friends and saw the four of them congregated at the steering wheel in the stern of the ship.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" Willa asked Finn, who seemed to be taking charge of the situation—ordering sailors to do things every few seconds.

"No, Finn's bringing us straight into one." Jess rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "He's going to be the death of us, I swear."

"Why are we picking a fight? Who's out there?"

"The ship that Maleficent sent to bomb Charlene's castle is in front of us. We can't avoid conflict with them." Finn said without taking his eyes off of the horizon.

"Finn's taken it upon himself to go on the offense and attack them." Amanda added. Her tone of voice suggested that she wasn't very happy about this decision either—or it was one of her mood swings. She'd been having more of those the past few days.

"That's actually smart." Willa said. "It's better to sink them before they can sink us."

"It's about time somebody agreed with me." Finn said as he turned the wheel slightly. "Where have you been all this time anyway Willa?"

Willa shrugged. "I was reading the journal."

"Anything interesting?" Philby asked her. His arms were crossed too. He hadn't said a word during this whole conversation. Willa tried studying him, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Just a bunch of ancient legends of sea monsters. That's all."

"It didn't happen to mention anything about sinking a ship, now did it?" Jess spat out sarcastically. "That would be useful right about now."

Finn let out a quick laugh. "Yeah, if one of those things could be summoned, we wouldn't have to worry."

"There was nothing about summoning them." Willa said in a quiet voice. "It was just old stories. They aren't real. So who cares?"

Nobody said anything. Willa felt Philby studying her, but she studied Finn. He seemed determined. She knew that once he had set his mind to something, there was no stopping it.

"So, Finn, what can I do to help?"

* * *

Charlene, Terry and the civilian were sitting in the throne room. Charlene sat down on her throne, while Terry sat down in the other.

"Does that mean the captain here's going to be king someday?" The civilian said with a laugh. "Or did I miss something here?" He pointed between the two.

"That's none of your concern." Charlene leaned back. "What did you have to tell us, mister—?"

"Greg Luowski, your majesty." He did a small bow. Terry could tell he was mocking her and he didn't like it. Something about him seemed all too familiar.

"Yes, Mr. Luowski. What do you have to tell us?"

"I have news of a threat to your ship, captain. Or is it king now?"

"It's captain to you, Greg." Terry fired back. "My ship left two days ago, what news do you have of a threat?"

"The admiral that fired cannons at your castle is planning on sinking the ship. You were supposed to be on board, but you're _obviously_ not."

"What?" Terry stood up. "Are you saying my ship's going to sink?"

"All the way down to Davy Jones' locker." Greg smirked.

Terry walked over to him and slapped him across the face.

"Terry!" Charlene yelled, but the captain ignored her.

"You better not be telling the truth!" Terry said to Greg.

Greg laughed some more. "Or what? There's nothing you can do now!"

"Then why bother telling us if we can't stop it?" Charlene said as she walked toward the two. She stood a few steps behind Terry, just in case.

"Because I want you to know that your whole mission to get Prince Finnegan back on the throne failed. That you risked your lives for the wrong cause."

Charlene and Terry shared a look. He could tell she was worried about their friends. He was too, but he didn't know whether or not to trust this Greg guy.

"Guards!" Terry yelled. "Take this man to the dungeon. I'll decide what to do with him later."

As the two guards grabbed Greg and pulled him away, Greg smiled and laughed some more.

"It's funny how they listen to you. You're no king! You're not even the rightful captain of your own ship!"

Terry froze. _How does he know about that?_

His uncertainty must have been written all over his face. The guards continued to pull Greg out of the throne room, but that didn't keep him from yelling at Terry.

"Didn't think anybody knew, did you? You don't recognize me, don't you? I didn't think you would!" Greg's gaze turned to Charlene. "I would be scared if I were you! He's power hungry! He's using you! He probably told you he loves you! Didn't he? He wants your throne! That's—"

The door slammed shut and Greg's voice was cut off. An eerie silence hovered over Charlene and Terry for a few seconds before he stormed off.

He didn't want to talk about the past. He had just gotten over that. He had found his second chance and he was taking it. He had found closure, a group of friends and true love.

And he wasn't going to let Greg take that away form him.

* * *

**Hmm...what's going to happen? I guess we'll see next chapter! I'll do my best to update faster this time! **

**And please keep those reviews coming! I absolutely love reading them! Be honest, tell me what you thought of this chapter! I love hearing y'all's opinions! **


	26. Isn't That Just Precious

**Here we are! Chapter 26! I won't keep you from it any longer!**

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Chapter 26: Isn't That Just Precious

The next thirteen minutes were pure chaos.

Ten minutes before sunset, Finn had gotten the boat close enough to fire the cannons. But just as they had started firing at Maleficent's ship, retaliation had begun.

Philby was yelling "FIRE!" every few seconds, while cutting the ropes and grapple hooks Maleficent's sailors were throwing onto their ship with his sword. Finn was trying his best to steer the ship further away from the other, but Maleficent's ship was closing in—and fast.

Amanda ran up to Finn with his sword in her hand. "Go! I've got the wheel!"

Finn turned to her, a shocked look on his face. "What?"

"HARD LEFT!" Willa yelled from the bow and Finn responded by spinning the wheel as hard as he could to the left. It didn't do much though, for the grapple hooks were pulling their ship back to Maleficent's with a significant amount of force.

"Jess will cover me!" Amanda shoved the sword into Finn's hand. "GO!"

Finn grabbed the sword without a second thought and jumped down the short staircase to where Philby was manning the cannons.

"We're going to have to fight!" Philby yelled at him.

"What do you mean? If we can steer the boat out of here, we'll be fine!"

Philby pointed to Maleficent's ship which was now only fifteen feet from theirs. One of the sailors on the other ship carried a twenty-foot long wooden plank to the railing and slowly lowered it.

Then Philby said the most obvious thing about their situation. "I don't think we're going to have a choice!"

Finn stared at the wooden plank in awe. The plank was barely wide enough for one person. _How does anyone expect to cross that?_ He searched back and forth along the railing and saw two others trying to lay planks down as well.

"Let's beat them to it!" As soon as the plank landed on the top of the railing on their ship, Finn jumped up and started walking across. A sailor from the other ship met him in the middle.

Finn swung his sword at the sailor at a downward angle, connecting with his leg. The sailor fell to the ground and hung on to the plank with one hand. Finn stepped on his hand and the sailor went flying down into the open ocean.

Finn glanced back at Philby and smiled. "Come join the party!"

Finn took off across the plank and was immediately attacked by three sailors. But luckily for Finn, they were all bad at sword fighting. He sent two of them flying overboard and the other got knocked out by the hilt of his sword.

A fourth sailor came at Finn from behind and knocked him facedown to the ground. Finn turned around and saw the sailor raise his sword. Finn thought he was a dead man, but at the last second Philby jumped off of the plank and smashed into the sailor.

Philby reached down and offered Finn a hand to help him up. "I'm sure the captain's going to hate missing out on this!"

"Let's make sure we just live to tell the tale!"

* * *

After a few minutes of intense fighting, Finn and Philby felt like they were on top of the world. For some reason, every single sailor on the ship fumbled with their swords and were easily defeated. But neither wanted to take the time to wonder why.

Philby had just sent yet another sailor overboard when he saw him.

Walking steadily toward Finn from behind was an older man. He was dressed in a formal uniform—one that only Maleficent's admirals wore. Before Philby could realize what we was doing, the admiral spun Finn around, grabbed him by the back of the head and placed his sword at his throat.

He leaned in close to Finn's ears and whispered something that angered Finn. Finn tried hard to get out of the admiral's hold, but the sword at his throat was a great limitation.

"Look here boys! We've got Prince Finnegan himself!" The admiral shouted to his crew. Every sailor left laughed. The admiral searched the crowd and his gaze landed on Philby. "And it looks like he brought a friend too. Tie him up."

A sailor pointed his sword only inches from Philby's throat. "Drop your sword."

Philby, realizing there was no way he could get out of this, dropped his sword. A second sailor behind him tied his hands tight with a rope behind his back. The first sailor continued to hold his sword near Philby's neck. The second soldier held his sword to Philby's back-not too far away from his hands.

"Now boys, we're glad you showed up for our little party." The admiral handed his sword and Finn off to another sailor and moved to the railing farthest from Captain Maybeck's ship. "See, we've got ourselves a little dilemma. And I was hoping you two could help us out."

"We're not going to help you!" Finn yelled as he struggled against his captor.

"Don't be so quick to judge, _your majesty_. I think we could help each other very much!"

"Why would we want to help you?" Philby asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"I'm seeking revenge on an old friend of mine and I hear you two are very good friends with him now-a-days." The admiral leaned back against the railing. Philby noticed the sun setting behind him. They didn't have much time before they weren't going to be able to see. "That makes us mutual friends, per say."

"Who are we talking about?"

"Oh the infamous Captain Terry Maybeck of course." He waved the two forward with a few fingers. Both Finn and Philby's captors moved them toward the admiral. "I'd like to propose a deal."

"And what is that?" Finn asked. Philby hoped that the admiral couldn't hear the anger in Finn's voice. The last thing Philby wanted was for Finn to die because his anger got the best of him.

"I'll let you and you're little friends over there live a few days longer if you help me bring the pirate to justice."

"What do you mean 'bring the pirate to justice?'" Philby asked. He sure didn't like the sound of that—especially when he was taking about his friend.

"An execution of course." The admiral pushed off of the railing and took a step toward them. "Well, I'm sure Maleficent will want a trial. The last thing we would want is the people to think her majesty is unfair to criminals." He smirked at the boys, giving Philby an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

But Finn started laughing. "Maleficent's dead you idiot."

Philby wanted to slap Finn across the face, but the admiral beat him to it.

"How dare you speak of such blasphemy?"

"It's the truth. You'll find her cold, dead body on the floor of the ancient temple. It's about four or five days from here. But we'll take you to see if you'd like." Finn smiled weakly.

The admiral leaned in close to Finn's face and started whispering—but it was loud enough for Philby to hear. "What proof do you have of her majesty's death?"

Finn studied the admiral. Upon deciding what to do, Finn leaned in and whispered, "we have the journal."

The admiral's eyes went wide. Apparently the journal was a secret._ Interesting…_

"How do you know about that?"

"Because we have it! We had a spy on the inside the entire time. We know everything." Finn smiled at him. Philby made a mental note not to make Finn mad. This side of him was scaring him more than it should.

"Do you now? Who is it?"

"Does that really matter who the spy is? I think what matters more here is the contents of the journal!" A female voice came from behind Philby. He slowly turned his head to see Willa standing in the middle of the one remaining plank between the two boats. She had an arrow in her bow ready to fire. Philby followed her aim and saw that it was aimed right for the admiral's head.

Philby knew exactly what she was up to and he couldn't help but smile.

"And how do I know you're not just making this up?" The admiral called out to Willa.

"Because I know everything in that journal. You can ask me any question you'd like, if that'll convince you."

"Alright." The admiral walked past Finn and Philby and to the edge of the plank. "Tell me one creature that lurks in this ocean."

Willa's serious face turned to a smirk. "That one's easy. There's a giant shark lurking below us." She took a step toward the admiral, refocusing her aim to his heart. "I would tell you the name, but it doesn't have one."

"There ain't no such thing as a giant shark in these waters! Admiral, she's crazy!" One of the sailors joked. All of the other sailors burst into laughter—all except the admiral.

Willa took a step forward. Now she was only a few feet from the admiral. "Now I'd let my friends go, or you and I both know what might happen."

The admiral's eyes went wide. "That's just the stuff of legends." But Philby could tell the admiral was trying to convince himself.

"Are you sure about that?"

The admiral snapped into an angry ambience and got up onto the plank with Willa. She backed up as he stepped forward until she were in the dead center of the plank. Willa kept her bow at the ready—still aimed at his heart. Philby watched with careful eyes. The last thing he wanted was for her to fall. He honestly could care less about the admiral.

"I would lower that bow if I were you, _Princess Isabel._" The admiral's tone of voice wasn't one that Philby was enjoying.

"I'm flattered, but it's Lady Isabel."

"You don't know?" The admiral laughed, causing Willa to lower her bow a little. "Oh isn't that just precious."

Right when he said the word precious, the entire boat shook violently. Finn and the rest of the sailors dropped to the floor. Philby fell backwards and the sword held at his back cut the rope binding his hands together. The admiral fell backwards onto his ship.

Philby scrambled to his feet and saw that Willa was gone.

"ISABEL!" He figured using her real name was safer. He ran to the railing to see her hanging onto the wooden plank with four of her fingers. She was staring at something in the water.

The sun had set a few minutes ago, making it harder and harder to see.

"PHILBY!" With her free hand, she pointed to something in the water.

Philby squinted his eyes to see. Even in the dark he wasn't sure of what he saw. But he was pretty sure he saw a giant fin disappear into the water.

* * *

**Cue theme music from Jaws!**

******I hope y'all have been enjoying these past few chapters! I've loved writing them!**

**See what happens next chapter! I'll try my best to have it up asap!**

**And don't forget to review! So close to 150-and I'm not going to lie, getting 150 on my first story would be awesome! Just saying...but it's totally up to y'all for actually posting them! **


	27. And Now We Wait

**Time to confess, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love Jaws and know it (almost) by heart. Shark Week just ended so all this shark stuff is still fresh on my mind-and I just couldn't resist adding some kind of shark element in here. I mean, they just got onto a ship and are traveling on the open ocean. I think it's only fitting to have a giant shark attack. Right? We can't let the main characters have a free pass, now can we? That would make the story boring!**

**Thanks for all the great reviews so far! Now I'll bring you back to the story where the cliffhanger left off! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 27: And Now We Wait

"PHILBY!" Willa yelled again. Philby reached as far as he could. He was only inches from her hand.

"Take my hand!" Willa grabbed his hand with her free one. "Let go! I've got you!"

Willa's hand crept up his arm, getting a better grip, while her other hand was slowly letting go of the plank.

A second bump shook the ship violently. Willa's bow and arrow slipped off of her shoulders and tumbled down into the waves below. Philby used his free hand to hang on to the railing. The plank that Willa was still dangling from slid off of the railing and fell into the water—trying to bring Willa with it.

Philby's grip on her arm tightened so that she didn't fall. Philby let go of the railing, gripping Willa's arm with both hands. With every ounce of strength he had, he pulled her up and over the railing and onto the ship.

They only had a few free seconds before a third bump knocked a hole in the side of the boat, causing the entire ship to tilt away from their ship at a dangerously steep angle. Philby's quick reflexes allowed him to grab onto the railing and wrap an arm around Willa's waist, keeping her from falling.

* * *

The scene that Amanda and Jess saw on Maleficent's ship was pure chaos. How their ship wasn't being attacked was beyond them. Every time the ship shook, they saw the ship get closer and closer to sinking.

Right now they saw pure chaos. Sailors were running around: some falling into the ocean, some trying to fix the ship, some hanging onto the railing for their lives. Amanda had lost sight of Finn after the first attack. She was searching for him, but she couldn't find him. She hoped and prayed that he hadn't fallen into the water already.

The ship suddenly fell to a steep angle—the railing in which Philby and Willa were holding onto was suddenly thrust high into the air. One of the grapple hooks that was keeping their ship connected to Maleficent's pulled off a section of the railing.

"We've got to help!" Jess said to her sister.

"What can we do?"

"I don't know, but there's got to be something!"

"Whatever's attacking their boat is going to attack us!"

"Are you suggesting we get out of here and leave them to die?" Jess placed both hands on her hips. "You would leave Finn with that monster?"

"I don't want to leave them, I just think for our own safety we should try to move the ship out of the way. We don't want have our ship destroyed too!"

Jess glanced back to the other ship.

Amanda followed her gaze. Whatever was attacking the boat struck again with such a force that it caused Philby and Willa to flip over the railing and fall straight into the ocean.

There were a few seconds in which Amanda couldn't see either. The two surfaced about ten feet from each other, causing Amanda to feel a little bit better. But Finn was still missing.

"PHILBY! WILLA!" Jess yelled down to their friends. Jess waved to them, and upon getting their attention, she threw a rope into the water. It was just long enough to reach the water.

Willa raised both hands out of the water and waved them violently, shaking her head.

"GO!" Philby yelled up to the sisters while waving them off.

Jess turned to Amanda with a confused look. "They want us to _leave_?"

"Willa obviously knows what's going on, we should go with it!" Amanda ran to the wheel and started directing the ship away from the chaotic scene unfolding next to them.

Jess brought the rope back to the deck and ran over to Amanda.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE CAN'T LEAVE THEM!" Amanda knew better than to look Jess in the eyes when she was mad, so she focused on steering.

"We have to move the ship or otherwise we're going to die too! We've got to trust that they'll be able to make it to us!"

"How can you be so sure that _thing_ won't eat them?"

"I'm not!"

* * *

Finn knew fighting sailors with his hands tied would be hard. But doing it while the ship was being attacked by a sea monster in the dark? Nearly impossible.

After the first bump, Finn had dove onto the floor and grabbed a sword one of the sailors had dropped. Right before he was about to cut his hands free, the second bump slid the sword far away. Sailors had tried their best to keep him from moving by jumping on him, but every time the ship shook, Finn got a few seconds of freedom.

After the fourth bump, Finn glanced up to see both Philby and Willa fall over the edge. A plan formed in his head.

Despite the steep incline, Finn ran for the railing. He dodged sailors and broken parts of the ship falling down the incline. With his hands still tied, he grabbed on to the railing and searched for his friends in the roaring waves below.

For a few unsettling seconds, he couldn't find them. But then he saw Philby grab for a piece of railing that had fallen from the captain's ship. He looked up at the captain's ship and saw Amanda and Jess sailing away. _Good,_ he thought to himself. He didn't want them anywhere near here. He saw where the railing was pulled off, probably by a grapple hook attached to Maleficent's ship.

Finn glanced down at Philby and Willa—placing their location deep in his memory and hurled himself over the railing.

* * *

Willa held on to the floating piece of the railing for dear life. She had been in the water now for about five minutes with Philby. They had finally stopped swimming away and were now watching as the scene before them unfolded.

She watched as Amanda and Jess steered the ship, stopping about a mile away. A mile was a safe enough distance to be away from the shark and it was a distance that they could swim when it was safe for them to go back.

Philby was looking the other way, watching as the ship sank in the moonlight. Willa could hear the screams of the sailors as they fell overboard and splashed around in the water. She was trying her best to stay as still as possible. Moving around in the water attracts sharks. And the last thing she wanted was to end up as shark bait.

She heard some splashing next to them and she turned to see who it was. The railing could only hold one more person, and they needed that person to be Finn.

And luckily, that person was Finn. She saw that his hands were still tied as he pulled himself up onto the railing—with some help from Philby.

"Some party, huh?" He joked as he got settled onto the railing. Philby stifled a laugh.

"Where have you been?" Willa reached over Philby and smacked Finn on the side of his head. "We thought it might have eaten you!"

"You're the ones who left the party first. That's not my fault!"

"We're just glad you're okay." Philby interrupted. "Now let's start swimming to our ship so we can get out of here."

Philby and Finn both started situating themselves so that they could start kicking.

"Wait!" Willa blurted out. "We can't start kicking around just yet! The shark could still be here!"

"And that matters _because_?" Finn asked her. His tone was a lot like Terry's and Willa did not appreciate that at this moment in time.

"_Because_…sharks are attracted to movement in water. We need to wait for all activity behind us to stop before moving on. If we start kicking, we might draw the shark to our ship. And then we'd _all_ be dead."

"So you're saying, we just sit here?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. It's night time anyway. We should wait until the sun rises before moving."

"That's _hours_ away!"

"I think that's a good idea, Finn." Philby said in a calm voice. "Sunrise might be hours away, but when it happens—assuming we're still here—we'll know that the shark's gone. It'll be much easier to make it to our ship then, assuming Amanda and Jess stay in the same place."

"Fine." Finn stared off in the direction of their ship. "Do any of you happen to have your weapons? My hands are still tied."

Philby shrugged. "Admiral made me give my sword up."

"Mine fell while I was on the plank." Willa added quietly.

"Great," Finn mumbled. "Just great."

"And now we wait?" Philby asked Willa.

She sighed and stared off into the distance. The night was pitch black beside the small sliver light the moon gave emitted. The captain's ship was still in the same place and it didn't look like it was moving. "And now we wait."

* * *

_Five Days Later_

The guard opened the door to the dungeon for Terry as he came down the steps. It had been five days since Greg had appeared. It was now time to find some answers.

Inside the dungeon there were three cells lining one wall, but only one was occupied. There were two guard sitting on the inside of the dungeon, watching the sole prisoner.

"Leave us alone." Terry said to the two guards. He walked up to the bars standing in between him and Greg. When the guards had closed the door behind them, he started talking.

"Why are you _really_ here Greg?"

Greg stood up and leaned against the far wall, glaring at Terry. "I was supposed to make sure you left on that ship of yours. But that failed."

"Why was I supposed to be on that ship?"

"First off, it's yours." Terry rolled his eyes. "Second, the admiral wanted to sink it."

"You're saying one of Maleficent's admirals wanted to sink my ship?"

"That's what I said."

Terry turned around and sat on a bench. He sat down and stared at Greg. All of his friends were on that ship—and now they were probably dead because of him.

"So I'm guessing your little girlfriend doesn't know why Maleficent's been after you all this time."

Terry put his head in his hands. "No."

"You should have known your past would come back to haunt you." Greg stood up and walked to the bars. He placed his hands on the bars, causing the chains binding them together to clank on the metal bars. "Killing the old captain isn't something people forget easily."

Terry looked up at Greg with a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh give me a break. Everybody knows you killed old Captain Hook."

"Is that what you think Greg? 'Cause that's not what happened."

"Oh really?" Greg laughed. "Humor me then. Tell me what _really _happened. I'd _love_ to hear this."

"The captain took the crew out to the old tavern. The captain pulled me aside and was talking about leaving the ship. He asked me if I wanted to be captain. When Maleficent's guards came in, he told me to run. I didn't find out that everybody was arrested until a few days later." Terry put his head back in his hands. "I didn't kill him. Maleficent did. But somehow she found out I had made it out alive and she's been after me ever since. Well, until her death that is."

"Maleficent's dead? Have you lost it?"

Terry stood up. "I haven't lost it! Finn stabbed her and he's going to take back his throne." He started walking to the door.

"Assuming he doesn't die when the admiral sinks your ship!" Greg yelled after him. Terry stopped in the doorway without turning back to him.

He could have yelled some threats back at Greg. Heck, he could have walked over there and strangled him. The guards wouldn't care. But instead, Terry walked out of the room and slammed the door. He needed proof that his ship was attacked before doing, or saying, anything else to Greg.

Terry walked all the way up from the dungeon to the throne room without saying a word. He didn't think anyone would be in there.

He opened the door to see Charlene standing in front of her throne talking to one of the guards. She looked up at saw him.

"Terry! You need to see this!" Her voice cracked like she had been crying. _Oh, great. _

Terry walked over to her and stood next to her. "What's going on?"

"Sir, as you requested, we went after your ship. And we found something…"

"Well what is it?"

The guard looked between Terry and Charlene as if he was unsure if he should show the captain or not.

"Go ahead. He needs to see." Charlene said in a quiet voice.

The guard nodded and walked over to something placed at the foot of the throne. He walked over to it and removed the blanket covering it, revealing a piece of wooden railing.

"What _is_ that?" Terry walked over to it and leaned down to examine it.

"It's all we could find of your ship sir."

Terry turned back to look at the guard. "How do you know this is my ship?"

The guard pointed to something carved into one of the wooden rails. Terry leaned in to read what it said and almost jumped in fright.

On the railing was carved a few different names, but one stood out: Captain Maybeck.

Captain Hook had told him that every captain should carve his name onto his ship in a few different places—to mark the ship as his territory. If all they could find from his ship was this section of the railing, Greg was right: all of his friends were dead.

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**I hope y'all enjoyed it! I'll have the next one up as soon as I can! **

**And please review! I want to know what y'all think about the story so far! **


	28. Happy Endings?

**151 reviews! Victory dance! :) Y'all are awesome! **

**I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! **

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Chapter 28: Happy Endings?

_Four Days Ago (The Day After the Attack at Sea)_

"They didn't make it out alive." Amanda mumbled to herself. She was sitting on the stairs that lead to the steering wheel with her head in her hands. They had waited all through the night for their friends to come, but they hadn't. It was late morning and they weren't sure what to do. Neither sister wanted to leave because leaving would be admitting that their friends were dead.

One of the crew members walked up to Amanda. He looked nervous, as if talking to her would cause her to fall apart.

"Morning, ma'am. The crew and I was wondering when we were going to be resuming our trip to California."

Amanda looked up with him with sad eyes. "What's your name?"

"Richard, ma'am."

"Richard, have you ever seen anything like what happened last night before?"

"No, ma'am. None of us has."

"Have you ever lost somebody you loved?"

"Uh…yes ma'am. My wife died about a year ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Finn and I were going to get married when we got back to California." She turned to look out at the ocean. "And after last night…I need to have some kind of proof that he's gone."

"Alright ma'am. I'll leave you alone then." Richard started to walk away. Amanda stood up and walked down the rest of the steps.

"Richard, wait."

Richard turned around and watched her as she searched for the right words.

"I…I know you and the crew want to leave. But…but I just want to be sure he's gone…before we move on. If you don't understand, that's fine. I…I just need to know."

"I understand ma'am. Don't worry about the crew. If they don't understand, they'll get over it." Richard smiled at Amanda before leaving her alone.

Amanda walked over to the railing and watched the waves. She couldn't help but admiring the beauty. Which brought her to question how something so beautiful could be home to a creature so destructive and malicious. She hoped that Finn was still alive. But with every moment that passed she was losing more hope. Her fear of having to raise their child alone was overwhelming. Sure, she had Jess, but every child needs a father. Finn had promised to take care of her and their child. Being the king of California now, she couldn't doubt that. She knew that with him, their child was going to have a much better childhood than she did. But if Finn is dead, how will she make ends meet? She can't go back to her hometown, for they tried to burn her at the stake. If she tried to convince the kingdom that she was carrying Finn's child, they'd laugh in her face. She didn't want to do this without Finn.

Jess yelling for a rope brought her out of her thoughts.

Amanda turned around to see a crew member throw the rope ladder to Jess. Last night, after dropping the anchor, Jess had ordered one of the crew members to make a rope ladder, claiming it would make it easier for their friends to get back on the ship when they made it back.

Amanda ran over to the other railing where Jess was standing. Down in the water by the ship were three people: Philby, Willa and Finn.

Jess threw the rope ladder over and Willa was the first one up. Jess got a couple of crew members to hold the ladder and she tackled Willa in a hug.

"Don't you dare think of doing that to us again! You had us so worried!"

Willa laughed and hugged Jess back. "Sorry about that."

Philby made it up to the top deck just as a crew member brought blankets. He grabbed one and wrapped another over Willa's shoulders.

"I'm so glad you two decided to wait on us. I don't know what we would have done if you had left." Philby said with a smile as he hugged Jess.

"Don't thank me, thank Amanda!" Jess let go of him. "If she wasn't so _in love_ with Finn and carrying his child over there, we probably would've left last night! That sea monster was freaking me out!"

"Who cares _why_ you stayed? I'm just glad you did." Philby pulled Amanda into a hug.

When Philby let go of her, Amanda saw Finn drop himself onto the top deck. He looked exhausted, his clothes soaking wet and his wrists red and bruised from the ropes binding his hands together.

A crew member took out his sword and cut Finn's hands free. Finn's gaze turned to Amanda and she ran into his arms.

They didn't say anything—but she didn't want to. She could tell he felt the same as she did. She was glad he was alive. All of her fears and doubts that had been haunting her all night disappeared so fast she questioned whether or not she had even had them in the first place.

"Amanda?" Finn whispered to her. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

"Yes?"

"I love you Amanda, you know that, but can I get out of these wet clothes? I'm freezing and I'd love more than anything to change."

She let out a small laugh as she let go of him. "Of course."

"Thanks for understanding." He kissed her on the cheek before running below decks to dry off and change.

* * *

_Six Days Later_

Philby led Willa through the streets of Anaheim—the village that he called home for the four years of Maleficent's reign of terror. Since word of Maleficent's death had spread to California, the people were rejoicing. Finn had decided to lay low until they reached the castle, so they spent three days in the coastal city enjoying the festivities.

Philby had found a simple engagement ring for Willa and she was proudly wearing it. He also had his royal armor polished. He also bought her a new dress that was red with a black sash (the royal family colors) that wrapped around it at the waist.

Early this morning, they had reached the town of Anaheim and the first thing Philby wanted to do was see Jack. Willa had only met Jack for the few moments before leaving on their quest. It seemed like years since Philby had seen Jack. He couldn't contain his excitement when Jack answered the door.

"Dell! You're alive!" Philby and Jack shared a long hug before Jack gave one to Willa. "Come in! Come in! I'm sure we've got a lot to talk about!"

Willa and Philby sat on the couch as Jack shuffled to clean up his small house quickly. He eventually sat down in a chair in front of the couch.

"My, my, don't you two just look ravishing! I haven't seen anything in those colors in a very long time. And you, my dear Isabel, look beautiful in them. It's like she was born to be a queen." Philby had never seen Jack's smile so wide. "So? I want to hear everything!"

It took them a few hours to tell him every detail of their journey, but it was worth it. Philby could tell that Jack was taking in every word they said, captivated by their story. At every moment of conflict, Jack watched them intently as they retold the action. When telling him of Philby's proposal, he smiled warmly at them both before congratulating them.

"And then the admiral of Maleficent's ship called me 'Princess Isabel.' I still don't understand why though, but anyway—"

"You don't? Surely Finn told you!" Jack interrupted as he leaned forward in his seat. "Isn't that interesting…"

"What do you mean, _surely Finn told me_?"

"You _are_ a princess, Isabel."

"No, I'm not. I'm just Lady Isabel. I'm not Finn's long-lost sister."

"But you are, my dear."

"And how would you know that Jack?" Philby asked him.

"I've been apart of the plot to overthrow Maleficent for some time now. One of the things that we were told was that Finn had a sister named Isabel. I can only presume he meant you."

"But Finn said he didn't know his sister's name! How was he supposed to tell me then?" Willa asked Jack. Her tone of voice was angry, with a little bit of sadness. If she truly was Finn's long-lost sister, that meant her whole childhood had been a lie. Her parents weren't who they said they were. She wanted answers, and now that Philby thought about it, so did he.

"I assumed he knew, that is my mistake."

The trio stayed quiet for some time. Finally, Willa spoke up.

"Where does that leave me now?"

"Well, when Finn takes the throne, you'll be the next-in-line."

"Until Amanda has her child." Philby added.

"But if it is a girl, you'll still be the next-in-line until they has a son."

"So does that mean that Philby and I can't get married?" Willa looked on the verge of tears.

"Of course you two can get married! If Finn and this Amanda girl are getting married, then so can you! Philby claims he'll be made general of Finn's armies. Even if the old laws were still in effect, you two would still be allowed to marry. Being the general is just as good as being royalty—or at least it is in my book." Jack winked at Philby.

"You're just saying that." Philby smiled.

"I might be. Now, Isabel, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a few words alone with my boy here Dell."

"Of course!" Willa stood up. "I'll be right outside." Willa walked outside and closed the door, leaving Jack and Philby alone.

"She's grown up to be a lovely young lady."

"You knew her when she was a child?"

"Of course! I'm her father." Jack stood up to go into the backroom, returning a few minutes later with two cups of hot chocolate.

"What do you mean you're her father?" Philby took a cup and took a sip. "That would make you the king, and the king's been dead for…eleven years!"

"Dell, I know this might be hard for you, but I have my reasons for doing what I did. If I hadn't done what I had done, my children wouldn't be alive now."

"Okay, I'll play along. Why fake your death and give away your daughter?"

Jack took a deep breath. "I was warned that my daughter Isabel would die if I didn't send her away." He paused. Philby saw a tear escape down his cheek. "I didn't want to, but I had to save her. Her mother died during childbirth…and…and I just couldn't let her die too."

Jack looked down at his cup. "Eleven years ago, there was an assassination plot to kill both Finn and I. In order to save him, I faked my death. I moved out here and became Jack the antique salesman."

Philby studied him. He could see the hurt in his eyes—something he had never seen in his four years living here. Deep down, Jack was still worried about his two children—the two children he never got to see grow up. _No wonder why he was so interested in Finn's return and Willa's well-being._

"I believe you." Philby said quietly.

Jack looked up from his cup and smiled at him. "You do?"

"Yeah Jack…or should I say King Peter?"

Jack laughed. "Please, call me Jack."

"So are you going to take back your throne now that Maleficent is dead?"

"No Dell. It's Finn's turn. My reign is long over."

"But shouldn't you at least tell Finn that you're alive?"

"I'll tell him when the time comes. But that time isn't now." Jack quickly glanced at the door. "If you decided to tell Isabel, I'll understand."

Philby nodded. "Do you want her to know?"

"Eventually, yes. I'd like to be able to tell my children together."

"That makes sense."

Jack stood up and walked to the door. "Now, I'd go meet up with your friends. You've got a lot of planning to do!"

He opened the door and walked outside. Philby joined him and saw Willa standing at one of the stands at the market down the street. She glanced back in their direction, saw them and waved. Both of them waved back and Willa returned to walking around the market.

Jack put a hand on Philby's shoulder, turning him around.

"I guess I should ask you for her hand in marriage."

"No need." Philby gave Jack a confused look. "Of all the men to find my daughter, I'm glad you did."

"Thanks, Jack." He gave Jack one last handshake before walking down the street to Willa.

* * *

"Finn! I can't believe it's really you!" Wanda said when Finn entered the throne room. She spread her arms and Finn gave her a hug.

She pulled back and looked at him. "My, you've grown!"

"Wanda, what are you doing up here? Jess said you'd still be in hiding!"

"Why would I? News of Maleficent's death came and all of her guards fled into the woods."

"Why did they run to the woods?"

"The people immediately came after them. They've also been asking about the new ruler. I'm glad you're here! Now we can crown the new king!"

"Well, actually, Wanda…" Finn turned around and gestured for Amanda to come over to them. "This is Amanda, my…fiancée."

"Fiancée? Oh isn't today just a wonderful day!" Wanda gave Amanda a hug. "I can't believe it! Where did you find such a beautiful girl, Finn?"

"There's something else you need to know Wanda." Jess said as she walked up to join them.

"And what is that, Jess?"

"There's a royal baby on the way too."

Wanda's eyes went wide. She looked back and forth between Finn and Amanda. "Looks like the kingdom's got a lot to celebrate!"

She gave the three of them a large hug.

"Now, we've got a lot to do! Let's get to work!"

* * *

_Four Days Later_

Charlene could not believe her eyes. She read the letter over and over but she still couldn't believe it! Terry walked into the dining room and sat down next to her.

"Morning." He said quietly. He didn't pay any attention to her. He had taken the news of his ship sinking very hard.

"I think I have something that's going to make your day!" She moved his plate to the side and placed the letter in its place.

He stared up at her with a shocked face. "What's this?"

"Read it aloud!"

He scanned over the first couple of paragraphs—which was fine with Charlene, they were boring updates that she already knew: Maleficent was dead, Finn is alive, blah, blah, blah.

"Queen Charlene of Florida and Captain Terry Maybeck are formally invited to the wedding and coronation festivities of the new King of California, Finn and his bride-to-be Amanda." Terry looked up with her, his eyes sparkling with hope. "They made it? They're alive?"

"Seems like it!" Charlene could barely contain her excitement. "And the party starts in only a week! We've got so many things to do! We can't have them partying without us!" She got up, kissed Terry on the cheek and waved one of the maids over, immediately giving her a list of things that needed to be done.

Terry stayed quiet until the maid left. "Looks like everybody got their happy ending, huh Charlie?"

"Just like I thought!"

"Sure you did." He winked at her. He kissed her on the cheek before going back to his breakfast.

* * *

_Fifteen Days Ago—Ancient Temple_

Tia Dalma slowly woke up. It was the middle of the night, but the moon emitted enough light for her to see.

She walked over to the large stone table in the center of the temple. There, hovering over a body, was the Lady Grimhilde—or as the villagers called her the "Evil Queen."

Upon seeing her the "Evil Queen" moved away from the body for Tia Dalma to see.

"She's barely alive. If you know anything that can save her, please do it."

Tia Dalma walked over to the body and kneeled down. She inspected the stab wound on her stomach.

"I think there is something I can do, but I'll need a few things."

"Tell me what you need. If it's on the island I can go get it."

Tia Dalma gave her a list of different plants that she could use to make some kind of herbal remedy for the stab wound. When the "Evil Queen" ran off after those items, Tia Dalma moved the body to a sitting position.

She ripped the shirt a little, so that she could examine the wound in full, and the unconscious person woke up.

"How long was I out?" She croaked out in an uncharacteristic weak voice.

"It is nightfall. Now you need to save your energy. I'm going to fix your wound."

"Finn…Finn did this."

"Yes he did. We all saw it."

"And he got away?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"I swear, I _will_ get my revenge."

"One day, Maleficent, one day."

* * *

**Don't worry guys when I skip days-nothing happens. It's not like the last time!**

**Despite the title of this chapter, it's not over! I'll update as soon as I can! And please review! I love reading them!**


	29. Up In Flames

**Wow...it's been way too long! Sorry about that guys! School tends to suck the fun out of everything! I know this chapter's a little short-and I'm sorry about that, I am-but I needed to add something!**

**I actually went back and re-read all 28 chapters before writing this one so I could get some ideas of stuff to incorporate into the next few chapters. I did fix some of the tiny mistakes that don't mean anything to anybody (except me-because they bothered me).**

**I hope y'all enjoy this next chapter! :)**

* * *

Chapter 29: Up in Flames

_Three Years Later_

Finn paced in the hall right outside of his bedroom. It was four in the morning and his wife had been in labor. He couldn't stop pacing. The last time she was pregnant, she had had a miscarriage after four months. A year later, she made it to five months before she lost the baby. It was a miracle that she had made it the full nine months, in Finn's opinion. But he couldn't handle losing yet _another_ child—and he knew Amanda couldn't either.

"Finn, why don't you sit down? I'm sure everything's going great." His sister patted down the seat next to her on the bench. She looked just as tired as him. The past three nights, Finn had been woken up by his wife having contractions, but none of them were considered "the real thing" until tonight. He was glad Willa was staying with him at the castle this week, otherwise he would be waiting all by himself.

Finn sat down next to her and leaned his head back on the cold stone wall.

"How much longer do you think it'll be until we hear something?"

"Hopefully not much longer. She's been in there for an hour or so."

"What if something bad has happened?"

"Finn, she's going to be fine. So is the baby."

"This is the third time, though. What if its just another miscarriage?"

"It won't be Finn. She's made it this far. Today's going to be your first day as a dad, I just know it."

"What if I'm not going to be a good dad? What if Amanda doesn't make it? I can't raise a kid without her."

Willa rolled her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Calm down Finn. You're worrying over nothing. Why don't you just take a nap?" She yawned. "You're not going to get a lot of sleep for a long time."

She stopped talking and Finn could tell she had fallen asleep. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and started drifting into sleep.

He wasn't sure how long they sat there like that before Jess walked out of the door with the biggest smile on her face. Upon seeing Finn and Willa she put her hands on her hips and started tapping her foot.

"Finn! Willa!" The two of them woke up with a start, which made Jess laugh. "You've got a son and a nephew to see and you're both sleeping? Amanda is going to hate you two for that!"

Finn without saying another word, scrambled up and practically ran into the bedroom. Willa and Jess laughed at him and followed in.

Finn saw Amanda sitting in the bed with their son in her arms. He walked over and sat next to her on the bed.

"He looks just like you." Amanda said without looking up at Finn. Finn couldn't help but smile.

"What should we name him?"

Amanda turned to Finn and gave him a confused look.

"I thought the name would be obvious if it was a boy?"

Finn returned her confused look. "We never talked about a name. What do you think we should name him?"

"I think we should name him Dillard."

Finn kissed his wife on the cheek. "Dillard it is then."

"Now let me see my nephew!" Jess said as she walked up to the new parents.

"Yeah!" Willa joined them. "It's never too early to start spoiling him."

Amanda laughed as she handed their son over to Willa.

"Oh, aren't you a cute little baby?" Willa said in a baby voice.

"You must get all your looks from your mommy, because your daddy isn't helping much." Jess looked up at Finn.

"Oh shut it Jess."

"No, Jess. He obviously get his good looks from _my_ side of the family. Right Finn?" Willa winked at Finn.

"That's not fair! You two didn't even know you were siblings until three years ago!" Jess crossed her arms and pouted like a child.

"Oh stop it Jess." Amanda's voice seemed a little sleepy to Finn.

"I think it's time we leave Amanda alone. She needs some rest." Finn took his son from Willa. "It's time for me to show off my son to everybody in the castle."

* * *

Philby walked into the tavern, searching the room for his friend. Upon seeing him at the bar, he walked up, ordered a drink and sat down.

"It's a boy. They named him Dillard." Philby waved down the bartender and ordered a drink.

The captain took a sip of his drink. "That's awesome."

Philby studied the captain. He looked like he hadn't slept in a few days. Philby could smell the alcohol on him—which meant he was drunk. It was eight in the morning and there were only a few people in the bar. The smell of alcohol was most definitely coming from him.

"What's wrong man? It's early and you're already drunk."

The captain took a large gulp of his drink this time and slammed it down.

"I heard something last night and I haven't been able to sleep."

"So you've been up all night?" Philby let a small laugh escape him. "You haven't done that in a while."

"Look, Phildweeb. It ain't good news."

"Did something bad happen? Is Charlene okay? What's going on?"

"It doesn't have to do with Charlene."

"Then what?"

The captain waved the bartender over to refill his drink. Once he was gone, the captain leaned in to whisper—despite the lack of people in the tavern. Philby felt nauseated by the overwhelming smell of alcohol on his breath.

"I heard Maleficent's still alive. And that she's making her comeback."

Philby rolled his eyes and helped the captain stand up. "Okay, that's it. You're way too drunk. Let's get you back to the castle."

The captain wiggled his arm out of Philby's grasp. "Man, I'm serious!" He reached into his pocket. "I got proof!"

Philby crossed his arm and tapped his foot. "We don't have time for this captain. Let's get you back."

He ignored Philby and continued to search his pocket. Philby knew his pockets weren't that deep and his patience was growing thin.

"Ah, here it is!" The captain pulled out a necklace. On that necklace was a small silver wedding ring and a royal family pendant. The captain handed it over to Philby and smiled. "Told ya I had proof."

"Where did you get this?"

"Somebody at the docks found it last night near my ship. When I was checking up on the crew, they showed it to me."

"And how does _this_ prove that Maleficent's alive?" Philby asked skeptically. "Finn killed her. Remember?"

"Did he though?"

"Yes. He did."

"Well if you had a brain, you'd remember that Finn used to wear this. After fighting Maleficent, he didn't have it any more."

"How do you possibly remember that?"

The captain shrugged. "I thought it was weird that he wore a wedding ring around his neck. But I never got the chance to make fun of Shark Fin for it."

Philby studied him. Even though the captain was so drunk he was having trouble standing, Philby could tell he was telling the truth.

"So how did this necklace end up here? Why would she just leave it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The captain threw up his hands in frustration. "She wanted us to find it."

Philby rolled his eyes. "And why would she want us to find it?"

"Because she's sending us a sign man! We need to tell Finn!"

Philby rolled his eyes again and grabbed the captain by the arm. He dragged him out into the street and started walking back to the castle.

"Then why didn't you tell him when you found out?"

"At first, I didn't know why this little necklace was so important, but then I remembered, but by then I was already at the tavern."

"So you decided to get wasted first?"

The captain nudged Philby. "Now you get it!"

"Let's just get you back to the castle man. You need to sleep this off."

"What are you gonna do with the necklace?"

"I'll give it to Finn if you _really_ want me to."

"Good. He needs to see that. Don't forget about the Maleficent part."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

* * *

"Where did you get this?" Finn asked Philby as he held out the necklace.

"The captain said his crew found it at the docks."

Finn's face drained of color.

"What's so important about a stupid necklace?" Charlene sat down in a nearby chair. The sitting room's ambience went from alive and happy to cold and filled with tension.

"Can I see that?" Willa asked. Finn handed it to her and Willa's eyes immediately went wide with recognition. "This…this was yours!"

"Yeah. I lost it at the ancient temple three years ago." Finn turned to Philby. "How did it end up here in California?"

"You're not going to believe this, but the captain thinks Maleficent's back."

Charlene burst out into laughter. "He was wasted, wasn't he?"

"Yeah a little." Philby stifled a laugh. He didn't think now was the time to mention that the captain had stumbled and fell into a table to apples-or that it was the most hilarious thing Philby had seen all week.

Willa and Finn exchanged a look. Neither of them thought this was a laughing matter. It might have just been Philby, but they seemed to be having a silent conversation.

It was a few minutes of awkward silence before Charlene finally realized they were taking the captain's theory seriously.

"Okay, is there something I don't know? Because I'm pretty sure Finn killed Maleficent THREE YEARS AGO!"

"I know I did…" Finn thought for a second then shook his head, deciding not to say whatever he had just thought about.

"Are you _absolutely _sure?" Philby asked him.

"I…I think so."

"Well you better get sure!" Charlene stood up. "I'm not having her attack us again! My ballroom is _finally _finished! I do not want to go through that nightmare again."

"I am sure!" Finn's shaky voice made it sound like he was trying to convince himself. Finn glanced over to Philby before leaving the room, mumbling something about going to see his wife and son.

Philby tried his best to not show any fear on his face. If Finn wasn't sure if he had killed Maleficent, that meant that everything that had happened over the past three years was about to go up in flames. They were going to have to fight for everything—again.

Philby glanced over at his wife and she gave him a worried look. The last thing he wanted was to lose her. The last time they fought Maleficent, Dillard had died. If they were going to have to face her again…Philby shook his head and walked out of the room.

But he didn't want to think about that. Until he had proof, he wasn't going to believe that _she_ was back. He simply wouldn't allow himself to believe the theory of a drunken captain.

* * *

**Yes, it's a little short. But hey, there's some plot! That's good right? **

**Again, I apologize for the long wait. I'm not going to promise to update again soon, but I will try my best!**

**Please review! I want to hear what y'all have to say! **


	30. Dead People Know Everything

**I'm going to apologize now for updating so late into the night. Normally, I'm asleep now, but I figured I'd go ahead and update while I'm still awake. **

**So anyway...chapter 30! Yay! **

* * *

Chapter 30: Dead People Know Everything

Charlene slammed the door and walked up to Terry, who was sitting at the desk in the guest room they were currently sharing. "You're a drunken fool you idiot!"

Terry jumped at her shouting and shoved something unseen quickly into one of the drawers of the desk. He turned around and gave her a shocked and confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"You get completely wasted and then you convince Philby that Maleficent's back? Now Finn _and_ Willa are freaking out!" She punched him in the arm. "What's wrong with you?"

"I was telling the truth, Charlie." He rolled his eyes and turned back to whatever he was doing.

Charlene grabbed his shoulder and turned him back around. "Don't you turn your back on me! I will not stand to have this nonsense again Terry! Maleficent's dead! Now, I don't know why you would want to believe that she's not, but get over it!" Charlene leaned forward and got in his face. She pointed her finger in his face. "She's dead! Once you're dead, there's no coming back! There's no such thing as ghosts!"

Terry studied her. Her eyes were on the verge of tears, but beyond the tears was fear. The thought of Maleficent coming back was scaring her to death.

He stood up fast, causing her to stumble backward. He grabbed on to her arm so that she wouldn't fall.

"What's going on here Charlie?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you freaking out about Maleficent? We beat her once, we can do it again. No big deal!"

"NO BIG DEAL? So Maleficent coming back from the dead is _no big deal_?"

Terry knew there was something that she wasn't telling him. He let go of her arm and she stormed out of the room. Whatever was going on with Charlene, Terry was going to find out.

* * *

Charlene was walking down the hallway toward the garden. She knew she could have some peace there. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with Terry and his nonsense. _Maleficent is not coming back to life! She just _can't.

"Charlene."

Charlene stopped in her tracks. That voice didn't belong to Terry. She slowly turned around and saw her thirteen-year old brother, Thomas, standing there. He looked the exact same as he did on the day he died eight years ago—every detail the same, even down to the blood staining his hair from the fatal fall. But he was glowing. He didn't seem real.

"T-T-Thomas?"

"Charlene, I need you to listen to me."

Charlene didn't realize she was trembling with fear. _Ghosts aren't real._ _You're seeing things, Charlene._

"Charlene? Is everything alright?" Thomas walked up to her.

"You're not real!" Charlene put her hands on her head and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see him anymore.

"I'm dead, Charlene. Of course I'm not real." He laughed.

Charlene looked up at her brother. For a quick second his image flickered and disappeared, only to reappear milliseconds later. It occurred so fast Charlene wasn't even sure it had happened.

"Charlene, I have to tell you something. It's really important."

"What is it?"

"That pirate you call your boyfriend?" Charlene slowly nodded. "Yeah, for once he's actually right. Maleficent is alive-"

"What? That can't be true! I refuse to believe it!"

"-and she's coming back for _all_ of you."

"She wants to kill all of us?"

"Yes. Just like she killed our parents and me."

Charlene stared at he brother in disbelief. "She didn't kill you! You fell off your horse and hit your head!"

"You're right, Charlene. But that's only part of the story."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember Charlene? My horse never got spooked. It didn't see a snake that day. She enchanted it."

"What are you talking about Thomas? She didn't do that! It's perfectly normal for horses to get spooked by snakes!"

"If there was a snake, why didn't your horse get spooked?"

Charlene thought back to that day. That day was still implanted in her memory as if it was yesterday. Images from that day flashed through her head so fast she almost got dizzy. But one thing was missing. Her eyes widened in shock. He was right: the snake was missing-because it was never there in the first place.

"Now do you believe me Charlene?"

Charlene stared at Thomas. She couldn't believe that he was here. She couldn't believe that Maleficent would want this innocent, little boy dead.

"Why did she kill you? What would she gain from that? You were thirteen!" The tears were about to get the best of her.

"She somehow knew the future. She knew that the next ruler of Florida was going to help someone overthrow her."

"But she wasn't even the ruler in California yet!"

"She knew that was going to happen too."

"What? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Sure it does! Ask Jess!"

"How do you know Jess?"

He gave her his infamous _are-you-stupid_ look. "I'm dead. Dead people know everything. Duh!"

"So why are you telling me about this Thomas? Why show up in ghost form and tell me? Why now?"

"Because…Charlene…she's coming back and somebody's going to die."

"Please tell me it's her."

"I can't tell you who it is. But if you don't want it to be you and your friends, there's something you need to do."

"What would that be?"

"Charlene? Is that you?" Terry's voice called out.

"Gotta go! Love you Charlie." Thomas reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder before disappearing. Despite him being a ghost, Charlene could still feel his touch.

Terry rounded the corner to see Charlene standing in the middle of the hallway, staring at something unseen. He ran up to her until he was standing a few feet away.

"Charlene? What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" She spun around and saw Terry. "Oh, uh, nothing." She shook her head, deciding not to tell him about her encounter with her dead brother. "I'm going to go…uh…get something to eat. I'll see you later."

* * *

"Finn, you're just overreacting."

Finn had been pacing in their bedroom for the past hour, necklace in hand. His newborn son was with Jess, so Finn and Amanda could finally have some time to talk.

"I don't think so!" He stopped and turned to his wife. "I'm not one hundred percent sure I killed her!"

Amanda got up from the bed and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Are you sure this is even a real possibility? I mean Terry has said some pretty crazy things while drunk before."

"I know he has." Finn wiggled out of her embrace, walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down. "But how does that explain the necklace?" He held it out for her to see.

"It doesn't explain the necklace. Terry and his drinking problems are not the explanation for _everything_, Finn." She sat down next to him. "I'm sure there's a good explanation out of there. But until there's some _actual_ proof that Maleficent is alive, you shouldn't worry."

"But it's very possible she might still be alive. I didn't exactly check to make sure she was dead before we left."

"But you said you stabbed her in the heart? I'm pretty sure that's instant death."

Finn lowered his gaze to his hands. "I didn't."

"What do you mean _you didn't_?"

"I stabbed her in the stomach, but not exactly in the heart. Well, I guess I could have…I don't know much about anything. The heart sounds better for the story, so that's how I tell it."

"Finn, sweetie, look at me." Amanda waited until Finn looked up at him. "She's not making any kind of come back. She's dead."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because she would have done something by now." Amanda stood up and faced him. "It's been three years Finn. She wasn't known for her patience. There's no way she would wait _three years_ to do something. It's just not like her."

Amanda kissed Finn on the cheek and walked out of the door, leaving Finn alone. He wanted to believe her, but he just couldn't shake this feeling. He looked down at the necklace. There were drops of dried green blood staining his father's royal family emblem.

Finn had no clue how the necklace ended up back in California, but he knew it had to do with Maleficent. The captain was right—not that Finn would ever admit it to him.

* * *

Jess looked down at the picture she had just drawn and after her first glance, she was already scared for the future.

In the picture she saw Maleficent sitting on a throne. Not just any throne, though. It was Finn's throne. The throne that became the whole reason she had to disappear and leave Amanda and Terry during the raid. The throne that Jess, Wanda and a man named Jack had been working to get away from her for _years_ before Finn came into the picture. The throne they worked so hard to get back three years ago. The throne that they risked their lives to salvage. The throne that Dillard had died avenging.

But that wasn't the only part that scared her. Actually, now that she thought about it, the fact that Maleficent was sitting on Finn's throne was the most calming part of her picture.

The background was foggy—which usually meant it didn't matter. But this time she had shaded it a dark gray color, so dark one could consider it black. Whatever the fog was, it was _very_ important. The dark gray fog was all over the room, but the majority of it was directly above the throne, creating a demon-bat figure with glowing red eyes.

It clicked with Jess that she had seen that figure before. She flipped through her journal until she found a drawing from three years ago. This drawing was of Willa holding the journal as the ancient spirit was unleashed. Jess flipped back to her most recent drawing. It was the same spirit.

_That can't be good_, Jess thought to herself. She continued to scan the picture for more clues.

In Maleficent's lap was the journal, open to a certain page—one that Jess could not see. The same journal that Tia Dalma had used to summon the ancient spirit all those years ago. The same journal Willa had taken back with her and had hidden in her house somewhere—or so she claimed.

In Maleficent's right hand was a bloody knife. The blood from the knife was dripping off its blade and falling onto the floor. Jess followed the trail of blood to the floor. That's when she noticed something on the ground at the foot of the throne.

The fog was covering up most of it, but she could have sworn there was a dead body there. She could not see the face, but the outline of it was most definitely a person.

Jess dropped her journal. Someone was going to die and Maleficent was going to be the reason why.

* * *

"I'm glad we finally get to go home now." Philby whined. It was the middle of the night, but the moon illuminated the streets of Anaheim perfectly. They had stayed at the castle for a little over a week in preparation for Finn and Amanda's baby, and now that little Dillard was born, they could finally go home. And Philby couldn't have been happier to be sleeping in his own bed.

"Oh come on, Dell. It wasn't that bad!" Willa nudged him before slipping her arm into his. "You love babies just like every other human being in the world."

Ever since they got married, they had decided to call each other by their _actual_ names. Philby had had a hard time getting used to being called Dell again, if he was being honest with himself. He only let two people call him that now: Jack and his wife, Isabel.

"I'm not saying I hate babies!" Philby defended himself. "The castle just doesn't feel like home to me."

"Then you better be glad Finn and Amanda had a boy. Otherwise, if something happened to them, I could be queen in a heartbeat." She smiled up at him.

"Why are you excited about that? I thought you didn't want to be queen?"

"I don't know…Amanda makes it look so easy! It's like she was born to be queen. She makes me think that even a girl like me could do it."

"Isabel, you know you'd be a great queen if it ever came to that."

She thought to herself then burst out into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"The idea of me becoming queen is simply hilarious. I couldn't take myself seriously."

"Yeah, nobody else would either." Philby joked and Willa nudged him hard in the side.

"You're supposed to be supportive!"

"I can't make a joke every once in a while?" Philby couldn't contain his laughter. Eventually Willa joined in.

The sound of someone kicking down a door followed by a loud scream both brought them back to reality.

"What was that Dell?" Willa asked him in a shaky voice.

"I don't know, but I'm going to check it out." He pulled his sword out of his belt. "Stay here, Isabel."

"No! I'm coming with you!"

"It's probably nothing, Isabel. Just let me handle it." He kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be right back, I promise."

She nodded and he quietly made his way down the street in the direction of the noise.

Philby walked down the street and heard the sound of breaking glass. He found the door where the sounds was coming from and tried to find a way in. There weren't any windows that faced the street, just a door that was slightly ajar.

Philby held his sword out in front of him and slowly opened the door so that it wouldn't make a sound. He took one last glance back at Willa, just to make sure she wasn't anywhere near here.

When he saw that she was still in the spot where he left her, he quickly, but quietly, stepped into the front room and saw that the place had been ransacked. Everything was thrown into the floor and broken.

The one thing that alarmed him was the blood splattered on the wall.

He slowly made his way into the backroom—which in most houses in Anaheim was a bedroom. He quickly moved the curtain taking the place of a door and immediately felt the temperature of the room drop significantly.

Before him was Maleficent sitting on the bed. Before he could scream or do anything else, someone came up behind him, gagged him and bound his hands—his sword clanking as it hit the floor. His captor pushed him to his knees and bound his feet with rope.

Maleficent got up and walked over to Philby, leaning down so she could get close to his face.

"It's nice to see you Dell Philby. I'm sure your wife won't mind if I borrow you for a while."

She motioned to Philby's captor. Whomever it was knocked him over the head and Philby's world went black.

* * *

**Ah, how I have missed the good old fashioned cliffhangers! :)**

**And the plot thickens once again! Mwahaha!**

**Please review! I LOVE reading them! :) I hope y'all are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it...which is a lot! I want to hear what y'all think...and that can only happen in a review...so I'd appreciate it if you would write one! They make my day reading them! **

**I'll try to update as soon as I can!**


	31. The Concept of Time

**So it's now official. This story has the most reviews in the Kingdom Keepers fanfiction archive! **

**HOW COOL IS THAT?!**

**Okay, now that my little victory dance is over...I bring you chapter 31! I think y'all are going to like this one. Well...at least I hope so. I LOVE this one _so much_! **

**And without further adieu, chapter thirty one! :)**

* * *

Chapter 31: The Concept of Time

When Philby didn't come back in a few minutes, Willa started to worry.

When she didn't hear any noise, she contemplated going after him, but decided against it, constantly reassuring herself that he can take care of himself.

When someone put their hand over her mouth and spun her around, she lost it.

She struggled against her captor and tried to scream, but the hand eliminated all sound.

"Isabel!" The voice said in a loud whisper. "Calm down! It's me, Jack!"

Willa stopped fighting Jack and removed his hand from her mouth.

"What are you doing here? Where's Dell?"

"I'm afraid Dell's been taken."

"WHAT?"

Jack hurriedly put his hand back on her mouth. "Sssh!" He looked behind him as if someone was following him. "We can't talk here."

Jack ushered Willa down the dark, quiet streets of Anaheim until they reached his house. Once inside, he threw everything off of a small couch in the front room and pulled it out, revealing a hidden trap door in the floor.

"How long has that been there?" Willa asked him as he unlatched the hinges on the trap door.

"As long as I've been here."

"Why would you need a trap door in your own house, Jack? Who's after you?"

"Isabel, my dear, there's more to me that you realize." He grabbed her arm and helped her down the steps.

Once the two were at the bottom of the steps, Jack lit a torch and the small room was illuminated. Willa saw that there was a small bed and a table off to one corner, with two doors on either side of the room. Jack immediately set the torch down in a vase on a table in the corner of the room.

"So this has been here all these years?"

"Yes." Jack looked around again worriedly. Willa was beginning to worry about being followed, but she said nothing.

"Isabel, there is much I need to tell you. Please, sit." Jack motioned for the bed. Willa hesitated, for she wasn't sure what was to follow, but she complied with Jack's request.

"Isabel, you've known for sometime now that you are King Finn's sister."

"You told me that when we returned to California, Jack."

"Oh yes, you're right." Jack started pacing. He was obviously nervous about whatever he wanted to talk about. "But I did not tell you the full story."

Instead of replying, Willa stared up at Jack. He wouldn't look at her. She had no clue what he was about to say, but she knew she wasn't going to like it.

"See, Maleficent isn't just after you and your brother. She's been after me for much, _much_, longer."

"You? But Jack, you're just a civilian! You're not royalty."

"Yes…and no."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I was royalty fourteen years ago. But I had to fake my death so that Maleficent wouldn't kill me or my son. Now I'm not royalty, but she somehow found out where I was...and now she's after me again."

Willa looked up at him with a blank stare. _Where is this going Jack?_

Jack stopped pacing and stood across the room facing Willa.

"Isabel, I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that I am in fact King Peter. I was…_am_ your's and Finn's father."

There was a moment of silence.

"Wait…_what_?" Willa realized too late that her tone of voice was screaming anger and outrage.

"Let me explain, Isabel."

"You're telling me that you've known all about me _all_ this time and you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't want to frighten you. My days as king as long gone."

"But that doesn't mean you can't be my father!" Willa stood up.

"I did what I had to because it was best for you, Isabel."

"Giving me away at birth was _best for me_? That makes no sense! What place is safer than the castle?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Isabel."

"What kind of excuse is that? Why can't you just say that you didn't want me because I'm the reason my mother is dead?"

Jack's face froze in shock. "How do you know about that?"

"Finn told me, _father_. I'm not stupid! My mother died giving birth to me! Why can't you just admit that that's why you didn't want me around?"

"Because that's _not_ the reason at all! I wanted you to grow up in the castle! I wanted to see you every day and watch you grow up!"

"Then why couldn't I? Why did I have to grow up the way I did?"

"Because Maleficent was going to kill you!"

Willa took a step back. "What are you talking about?"

"Maleficent knows the future somehow. I'm not sure how she does, but she knew that if you stayed in the castle you were going to die! I sent you away so you could live!"

"How could she possibly know that I was going to die? That makes no sense!"

"It doesn't make sense, Isabel, it doesn't. But two months after you were sent away, a plague went through the town and all the young ones were dead within days! I almost lost your brother too! You would have died if you would have stayed, Isabel. Believe it or not but Maleficent's warning saved your life!"

Willa sat back down on the bed and put her head in her hands. First her husband disappears and now she finds out Maleficent saved her life. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

Jack sat down on the bed next to her. "I know this is tough for you, Isabel. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do—letting you go."

"What about Finn? He said you died fourteen years ago. How do you explain that?" Willa looked up at Jack with tears in her eyes. Jack had always felt like a father figure to her, but knowing that he is her biological father changes things.

"Maleficent made clear threats against my life. The only way to protect myself and Finn was to fake my own death and move out of the castle. The original plan was for me to move out to a village at the far edges of the kingdom—the same one you lived in, now that I think about it—but I couldn't move far away from the castle."

"How come?"

"Because I was told that if I stayed, I'd be able to see both of my children again."

"Who told you that?"

"Who said it doesn't matter. I knew that it was probably just a hoax, but deep down there was a part of me that believed it to be true."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

Willa wiped a few tears off of her cheek and turned to Jack.

"Do you know who took Dell?"

"I have an awful feeling it's Maleficent."

"How do we get him back?"

Jack thought for a second. "I'm not sure." He paused again. "But I think I know where she's going to strike next."

"What do we do now?"

Jack looked at her and Willa saw a twinkle in his eyes that she had never seen before. "I have an idea."

* * *

Charlene sat in the garden. The moonlight gave the trees and plants an eerie look, but in a beautiful way. Charlene sat on the edge of the fountain, moving her fingers through the water as she thought.

Earlier that evening she had saw her dead brother. And not only had she saw him, but he had talked to her. They had had a conversation. He touched her and she felt it.

Absolutely none of it made sense.

She watched as the waves bounced off of her fingers and moved around the fountain. She had always appreciated beautiful places like this. The calming aspect of the garden made her question whether or not the events of today had even happened.

"Now what I'm wondering is why my lovely girlfriend is out here in this garden all by herself in the middle of the night."

Charlene turned and saw Terry standing there with the biggest smile on his face. In return, she gave him a quick-lived smile and went back to looking at the water.

"What's wrong?" He walked up to her and sat next to her on the fountain's ledge.

"Nothing."

Terry obviously wasn't convinced. He put his hand on top of hers. "What's wrong?"

Charlene wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Just a rough day, that's all."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

Charlene felt Terry studying her, but she still refused to make eye contact.

"Okay then." He stood up and offered her his hand. "At least come inside. It's way too cold out here."

Charlene shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I just want some time alone, that's all."

Charlene glanced up at Terry. Their eyes locked for a few brief seconds.

"Okay. Don't stay out here too long. You'll get sick." Terry leaned in, kissed her on the cheek and walked out of the garden.

Charlene watched as he walked away before returning her gaze back to the fountain.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she heard someone walk into the garden. Charlene figured it was just Terry. She heard the footsteps stop not too far away from her.

"Terry, I'll come inside soon. I just need some more time to think, that's all."

"Oh I know the perfect place to think, dearie." A dry, raspy voice said behind her.

Charlene turned around so fast she almost fell into the fountain.

"MALEFICENT? What are you doing here?" Charlene turned to call the guards, but Maleficent threw a hand up.

"No need to call the guards, your majesty."

"You can't just sneak in here like that!"

"Oh, but I can! I've been doing it for years! I know _all_ of the secret passageways in and out of the castle."

"You're supposed to be dead!"

"Am I? I didn't get the memo."

"Why are you here Maleficent? Why show up now?"

"I had to come see how my favorite children were doing. I hear that lovely boy Finnegan has a son now. How," she sneered, "...precious."

"You need to leave! Now!"

"Oh I will! The castle is a dreadful place to stay much longer than a day. But there are a few more things I need to attend to while I'm here."

"Leave now before I call the guards!"

"I will, under one condition, _your_ _majesty_." Maleficent did a mock bow. Charlene had to use all her will power not to slap Maleficent across the face.

"And what is that your excellent evilness." Charlene returned a mock bow.

"I'm going to need you to come with me."

"Why would I ever go anywhere with _you_?"

"If you want your friends to live, you should do as I ask."

"You can't threaten them! Not here! You have no power! Finn's in charge here!"

"Yes, he may have won last time. But that was three years ago, dearie. A new era has begun!" She spread her arms out and took a step forward. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Either way, you _will_ go with me."

Charlene said nothing. All she did was stared at Maleficent, deciding whether or not it was worth slapping her.

"I guess that means we'll be doing this the hard way."

Maleficent snapped her fingers and a gag suddenly appeared in Charlene's mouth. She screamed, but no one could hear it. Another snap and Charlene's arms were bound with rope that appeared out of no where.

A third snap and Charlene fell to her knees. Maleficent leaned in close to her face and started whispering.

"I'm glad you picked this way, Charlene, I am. This is going to be so much fun for the both of us."

She snapped her fingers for a fourth time and Charlene's world went black.

* * *

Amanda stared at the drawing. In the small amount of light the candle emitted, she could see Jess' most recent drawing well enough to know that their future wasn't bright.

"Jess…this…this is something else."

Amanda put the drawing down on the table.

"That looks a lot like—"

"Amanda. I know what you're thinking. It doesn't look like Finn."

"But it still could very well be him."

"I know that…but there's no need to jump to conclusions here Amanda."

Amanda slammed her hand down on the table. "It's him, Jess and you know it!"

"Amanda! You can't see who the person is! It could be ANYBODY! Heck, it could be me!" Jess picked up her drawing and placed it back inside her journal.

"You and I both know better than that, Jess!"

"You're jumping to conclusions!"

"AM I?" Amanda stood up and her chair toppled over.

"YES! YOU ARE!" Jess stood up but somehow managed to keep her chair from falling over on its side.

The two sisters stared at each other, anger exploding behind their eyes. They hadn't fought like this in years. Amanda was trying her best not to push her sister across the room. Jess resisting the urge to slap her sister up the side of the head.

Neither were completely sure how long they had been like this, but Amanda ended their moment by sitting back down in her chair.

"Maybe...maybe I am…jumping to…conclusions." Amanda felt a tear escape down her cheek.

Jess sat down. "Amanda," she whispered.

"No, Jess." Amanda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It took us…three years to get to have a child, Jess, three years. We worked so hard to be here…I'm not going to let anything happen to him." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "I can't do this without him."

"I'm not asking you to. Nobody is."

Amanda looked up at her sister with sad eyes. She knew it wasn't Jess' fault that the drawing turned out the way it did. It wasn't Jess' fault that sometime in the future Maleficent was going to make an attempt at the throne, and someone was going to die trying to stop her.

On the other hand, Jess has been wrong before. But when it comes to Maleficent, she's _always_ right.

_It can't be Finn_, Amanda said to herself, _I simply won't allow it._

"Amanda," Jess reached over and grabbed one of Amanda's fists and undid it. Amanda hadn't realized she had balled her hands into fists. She had almost used her curse against her own sister.

Amanda burst into tears. If she couldn't control her curse now with her sister, there was no way telling if she'd ever be able to control it again.

"Amanda, it's okay. You just got all worked up, that's all! It's my fault really. I shouldn't have shown you the drawing."

"Jess, it's not your fault." Amanda stood up. "I…I just need to get some sleep. I've had a long day."

Amanda walked out of the room.

"I think we've all had a long day." Jess muttered under her breath.

* * *

Finn slowly woke up. With his eyes closed he reached over to put his arm around his wife, but his hand kept hitting the sheets.

He barely opened his eyes and saw that she was gone. _Jess had mentioned talking with her in private at dinner_, Finn remembered.

A chill ran down Finn's spine. He rubbed his hands against his arms to gain warmth when he heard the smallest noise from across the room.

He searched the dark room and saw a shadow move quickly. So quickly that Finn almost didn't see it. Finn slowly reached over to the edge of his bed and gripped his hand around the hilt of his sword.

Amanda had always told him keeping a sword by the bed was a stupid idea. _If only she was here for this_.

Finn got up from the bed as slowly as he could and walked over to where he heard the noise and saw the shadow. Walking around with his sword in the front was very different in the dark.

Suddenly a candle was lit and Finn saw Maleficent sitting beside his son's crib.

"My, my. Look here, my dear baby boy. Your father's come to play." Maleficent said in a dry, raspy voice to his sleeping child.

"Step away from my son!" Finn put the sword inches away from her throat.

"My dear Finn. Don't worry. I won't harm him. It's not his time." She turned to look at him. "Or yours either. Consider yourself lucky."

"Get out."

"Oh I will. But I thought you'd like to hear a message first."

"You've got two seconds before I kill you." Finn pushed the sword a little closer. "And this time, I'll make sure you _stay_ dead."

Maleficent let out a maniacal laugh. "Please. It's not my time either."

Finn continued to stare at her. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of him begging for the message.

"Oh, fine. I'll tell you what I came to say." Maleficent stood up and Finn realigned his sword to keep it at her throat. "I just wanted to let you know that three of your little friends are missing. I've got two of them…I'm not sure where that pesky little sister of yours is, though. I believe she's with your father somewhere, but I simply don't care. She'll come around."

"What?" Finn's sword wavered.

"Have you grown deaf Finn? Am I not speaking clearly?"

Finn quickly put his sword back in its former place. "Let. Them. Go." Finn was pretty sure he had never been angrier in his life.

"It's not time for that yet Finn. You really do need to understand the concept of time. Be patient, Finn, and you'll understand."

And with that Maleficent disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

**I don't think y'all realize how much I LOVE cliffhangers. So the plot thickens once again! I guess you'll have to wait and see what happens! I promise I'll update as soon as I can! **

**Please review! I love reading them! Keep them coming! And thanks to those who have been reviewing on _every_ chapter! Y'all are the coolest for sure! **


	32. Three Gone, One Missing

**I must say, reading y'all's reaction to the cliffhangers of the past 2 chapters are _hilarious!_ It seriously makes my day! Please keep those coming! **

**This chapter's a little short, but I figured cutting it off here would be much easier than taking longer to write a long chapter. So here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 32: Three Gone, One Missing

Amanda walked into the bedroom and saw Finn standing near the crib, sword in hand, and was thoroughly confused.

"Uh…Finn?"

"Amanda?" He turned saw her, noticed he had his sword in his hand and dropped it, the clanking noise waking up their newborn son.

Amanda reached into the crib and picked up their son, trying to get him to go back to sleep.

"What was that all about?" She whispered to him.

"I…uh…nothing." Finn put his sword back where it was supposed to be and sat down on the edge of the bed. He ran his fingers through his hair, like he did when he was nervous or very confused.

"Okay, let me start somewhere else." She moved over and sat by her husband. "Why were you holding your sword near Dillard's crib?"

"I…I heard something…that's all."

Amanda studied him and upon the first glance she knew there was something he wasn't telling her.

"What did you see?"

"I said I heard something, Amanda."

"I know. But you wouldn't have brought your sword out unless you saw it. Whatever _it_ is."

Finn took in a deep breath and laid back in the bed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Amanda situated herself so that she could look at him and gave him a warm smile. "Try me."

Finn's gaze moved to the ceiling. For a few moments, Amanda figured Finn didn't want to talk about it. She started to get up to put their now sleeping son back in his crib when he spoke.

"Maleficent."

"What?"

"I saw Maleficent."

Amanda let out a laugh. "Sure Finn, and I saw a mermaid in the fountain earlier today."

Finn sat up quickly. "I'm being serious Amanda. She was standing right over the crib. That's why I was over there with my sword."

"Then how come I didn't see her when I came in?"

"She disappeared into a cloud of smoke." Amanda raised her eyebrow. "I'm being serious Amanda!"

"Okay, okay. So you saw Maleficent." Amanda turned away to put Dillard back in his crib. She did this purposely so that she wouldn't have to look Finn in the eyes. "What did she say to you?"

"She said that she had two of our friends…and that Willa was missing, but she didn't take her."

Amanda froze. Jess' dream was becoming a reality. She held back tears.

"Did she say who was gone?"

"No."

Amanda turned to face Finn. "Do you believe her?"

"I don't think she would lie about that."

Amanda walked over and sat near him. "Then what are you going to do Finn?"

"I say we go make sure everyone's okay." His gaze was still locked on the ceiling.

"Okay." Amanda waited for him to move, but when he didn't she laid down next to him on the bed. She figured he'd go when he wanted to. If there was even the smallest possibility that Maleficent was in the castle, she did _not_ want to be going anywhere by herself.

"She said that she wasn't sure where Willa was. What do you think that means?" Finn asked her. For the first time, he sat up and looked at her. She glanced up at him and saw that he had a tear running down his cheek.

"Maybe she was looking for her and she couldn't find her?"

"Maybe." He took a deep breath and sighed. "Or she ran away just in time."

"That's a good thing, though…isn't it?"

Before he could answer, Terry burst through the door.

"Have you two seen Charlene tonight?"

Finn stood up. "No I haven't."

Terry's worried look turned towards her. "Amanda?"

"No…I haven't seen her since this morning."

Finn started pacing. It dawned on Amanda that Charlene was one of the two that Maleficent had taken.

"Oh my gosh." Amanda muttered under her breath. She looked up at Finn and they locked eyes for a second. He was thinking the same thing that she was. "It can't be—"

"But who else would it be?"

"But Finn…you're believing the word of a dead woman!"

"SHE'S NOT DEAD ANYMORE OBVIOUSLY!"

"What the heck is going on?" Terry threw up his hands in frustration.

Amanda and Finn shared a look. Neither of them wanted to be the one to tell him. Amanda tried her best to make it obvious to Finn that she was _not_ going to be the one to tell him.

Luckily, she didn't have to. The baby started to cry. Amanda walked over to him and picked him up.

"Look, captain. I think I have an idea of what happened to Charlene."

"Well? Spit it out!"

"Maleficent has her."

Terry and Finn shared a few moments of intense staring. Amanda thought she was the only one that noticed that Terry was resisting the urge to punch Finn.

The baby's cries softened in sound, but the tension in the room was still very high.

"You can't be serious Shark Fin. Now's not the time for joking."

"You think I would joke about that?" Finn walked up to Terry and got in his face. "I woke up and she was sitting by my son! She sat there and told me that she had two of us and that she was looking for Willa but she couldn't find her! You think I would just _make that up_?"

Terry studied Finn's face and took a step back. "She's got someone else beside Charlene? Do you know who it is?"

"It's either Philby or Jess."

"It can't be Jess, I just saw her." Amanda interjected.

"I left Charlene alone about an hour ago." Terry retorted.

"Where did you last see her?" Finn asked, preventing a fight between the two.

"The garden. She said she just wanted some time to be alone. I left her there for an hour. I come back—and she's gone."

Terry walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Amanda walked to the door, opened it and asked the guard to find her sister and bring her back here when she was found.

She walked back into the room, set the now sleeping baby back into his crib and sat down on the bed next to Terry.

"We need to find Philby and Willa."

"They left for their house after dinner." Terry mumbled.

"And if what Maleficent said was right, Willa's gone into hiding. That can only mean that Philby's—" Finn's voice trailed off as he sat down beside Amanda.

A few minutes of silence was interrupted by a guard entering the room. He seemed flustered and nervous. He did a quick bow.

"Your majesty, I have something to…to tell you."

Finn stood up. "What is it?"

"Uh…sir…I think it's more of a…a…private matter."

Finn nodded and ushered the guard outside of the room.

"What do you think that's about?" Terry whispered to Amanda.

"No clue."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'JUST _GONE_?'" Finn yelled from outside.

Terry and Amanda shared a look.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"

"What do you think Finn's doing out there?" Amanda asked Terry.

"Yelling." Amanda rolled her eyes.

"WELL FIND HER!" Finn stormed into the room and slammed the door shut.

"Finn?" Amanda asked her husband in the sweetest voice she could accomplish.

"Dude, what's going on?" Terry stood up.

Finn looked between the two of them and ran his hands through his hair.

"Jess is gone."

* * *

**Three people are missing...hmm...what does Maleficent have planned? Hm...I guess we'll have to wait and find out!**

**Please review! As I said earlier...I _love_reading them! **


	33. Must Be A Sibling Thing

**So this story just tipped over 4000 views! HOW CRAZY IS THAT? (the answer: _insanity_)**

**Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. This weekend I honestly didn't feel like doing anything...at all...so...short story is...I didn't. **

**I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. It's kind of a filler chapter and some of it's probably boring...but not all of it!**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Chapter 33: Must Be A Sibling Thing

_The last thing Terry thought about before falling asleep was the goodnight kiss he had shared with Jess. Normally they were wonderful in every way possible, but tonight's was different. She felt distant, especially after the big "I'll always love you" speech she gave. Now that he thought about it, it felt more like a goodbye kiss. And Terry couldn't help but wonder why._

_His peaceful dreams were interrupted by shouting, banging and high-pitched screams. _

_Terry jumped out of bed and ran to the front room. He peeked out the window and what he saw scared him._

_There were multitudes of guards running through the streets, some with torches. The ones with torches threw them into the windows of random houses, while the others kicked in the doors and ransacked homes. There were some people lying on the ground, covered in their own blood._

_His first thought:_ Jess!

_He searched the front room for something—_anything_—he could use as some sort of defense mechanism, but the only thing he could find was the iron spike he used for his blacksmith work._

This'll have to do.

_He opened the door and ran toward Jess' house._

_He had heard of the raids happening all around the kingdom over the past year, but for some reason he never thought it would happen to them. They lived in a small town in the middle of the kingdom. Why would Maleficent care about a small town like them? From what Terry had heard, there was always a reason for the raids: food, luxuries, money, _people.

What could she possibly want from this small town?

_Terry kept running, using the spike to knock out the occasional guard, until he got to Jess' house. _

_He kicked the door in and heard a shriek. Fearing that he might have hit Jess, he hurried in._

_But instead of seeing Jess, he saw Amanda._

_"What are you doing?" She asked him, holding her head. He could see that there was a small cut on her forehead from where the door had hit her._

_"I wanted to make sure Jess was okay," Terry glanced around the room, but didn't see Jess, "and you too."_

_"Thanks. Feeling the love, Terry." She struggled to get up. A loud _BANG! _made her flinch._

_"Where's Jess? We need to get out of town!"_

_Amanda's eyes went wide. "I thought she was with you! That's where I was headed!"_

_"I came here to find her!"_

_"Then where is she?"_

_"Why isn't she here?"_

_"I don't know! She was here when I fell asleep!" _

_Another loud _BANG! _could be heard over the chaos outside._

_"Where could she have gone?" Terry asked her._

_"I have no clue! I thought she was with you!"_ _Amanda reached down and grabbed a dagger he hadn't seen before. "But we need to find her before she gets killed!"_

_Amanda pushed past him and walked out onto the street. He followed without a second thought. _

_They would search all night. And they wouldn't find her, for __Jess had disappeared into the night without a trace._

_After what seemed like a never-ending search, Amanda turns around and collapses into Terry's arms, in tears._

_"She's gone." She says before composing herself. She wiggles her way out of his grasp and looks him in the eye._

_At first, she doesn't say anything. Then she starts shaking him, screaming his name. _

_"Terry! Wake up Terry! Come on! You've got to wake up! We've got to go!"_

* * *

Terry opened his eyes. He saw Willa standing over him, shaking him.

"Come on Terry! You've got to wake up!"

"I'm up Willa!" He swatted her hands away and sat up. Then it hit him. _Did Finn say she was missing?_

"Oh my gosh! Willa!" He yelled as he pulled her into a hug.

"Terry!" She got out of his embrace. "We've got to go," she whispered.

"What? Why are you here? Finn said you went missing!"

"I ran away before Maleficent could get me." She looked down at the floor. "She's got Dell."

"And Charlene and Jess." He stood up. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know that already."

"WHAT?" Willa's attention snapped back to him. "She's got them too?"

"If you were here, you would know that. Speaking of which, where have you been?"

"I was with my father. He…he saved me."

"Your father? You and Finn don't have a father!"

"Surprise!" She spat out sarcastically as she walked toward the door. "We need to get Finn and Amanda and leave _now._"

He hurried to follow her, grabbing his sword as he left his room. "Why?"

She turned and abruptly stopped, causing him to run into her. "She can get in and out of the castle without anyone noticing, and no one knows how. We're not safe here anymore."

"And I'm assuming you know where we'll be safe."

"That's why I'm here."

And she took off again.

They made their way across the castle toward Finn and Amanda's bedroom.

Without warning, she burst through the door and both Finn and Amanda jumped out of fright.

The baby started crying. Amanda hurried over and grabbed him, whispering soothing things to him.

"Willa? Terry?" She whispered as loud as she could. "What are you doing here?

Finn stared at Willa in shock. "Willa? You're here? She…she said you were gone! Where have you been?"

Willa studied the couple, taking deep breaths. "Finn, you're not going to believe me."

Terry could tell they were having some kind of silent conversation with each other. _Must be a sibling thing_.

Luckily, Amanda was just as confused as he was.

"What's going on? Willa, where have you been?"

"I need to take all of you to a safer place."

"What place is safer than the castle?" Amanda looked to Finn for answers.

"Maleficent can get in and out of here undetected, and you know it Finn. We need to relocate to some place safer."

"What? What about the baby?" Amanda kept looking at Finn for answers that Terry figured he didn't have.

"He'll have to come too." Finn interjected. He reached down and grabbed his sword. "We'll meet the two of you at the end of the hall in a few minutes."

* * *

Willa and Terry left the room and Amanda went into hysterics.

"Finn! We can't bring our son along! What if something happens? What if Maleficent comes back for him? What if she comes back for you?"

"Amanda." He walked over to her. "I won't let anything happen to you or our son, I promise."

Amanda sighed and looked at him disapprovingly. "Finn, don't promise that." She said in a small voice.

"Why not?" He asked her. She moved over and sat down on the bed, with their son still in her arms. Finn sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her back.

"Because…" She looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact with Finn. "When you make a promise, you won't back out of it…no matter what."

Finn let out a small laugh. "And when did that turn into such a bad thing?"

"You almost married Charlene, because you promised her your hand in marriage in exchange for help on that journey three years ago."

Finn studied her. He was sure they had gotten past that…_three years ago_.

"Amanda, that's not fair. What does that have to do with now?"

"Because you promised me that you won't let anything happen to me or our son. What if that involves you dying instead of us?"

"If there was the tiniest possibility that my death would save the two of you, I would gladly do it."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Amanda whispered.

Finn pulled her tighter and kissed the top of her head. "I only say that Amanda, because I love you. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you because of me."

"And that's noble, and I appreciate that, Finn, but I don't want you to promise me that you'll do anything to protect us."

"And why not?"

"Because you'll _actually do it._ I'm not letting Maleficent kill any of our friends, or our son, or you." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Don't you worry about me, Amanda. I'll protect both of you, I prom—"

"Don't, Finn. For your own safety."

"I want to promise you that Amanda, because I want you to know how serious I am about this."

"But Finn, what if you die?"

Finn smiled at her. "I'll do my best to stay alive, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead. "But you and Dillard come first."

She studied him before slowly nodding. He pulled her in for one last kiss before packing up a few belongings.

As she changed, Finn wrapped up their son in a few layers of blankets. He grabbed his cape and placed his sword in his belt. When Amanda had changed, she took the baby and headed for the door. Finn was about to leave, but one thing caught his eye—his necklace.

He walked over to the bedside table where it was laying and picked it up.

His mother's wedding ring and his father's royal family emblem were still dangling from the silver chain. The dried green blood splattered the emblem was a constant reminder to Finn that Maleficent was back.

She had three of his friends. She had gone after his sister, but she had gotten away in time. She was the reason Dillard and his father were dead.

Those were just some of the reasons he was ready to eliminate her from the face of the earth.

* * *

"Charlene," the ghostly voice whispered.

Charlene's eyes fluttered open. Her head felt like it weighed a million tons. She couldn't tell where she was, but she could feel the chains on her ankles and wrists. With the little light in the room she was in, she thought she saw a figure standing before her, but it quickly disappeared.

"Charlene, wake up!"

Charlene's eyes darted across the room, trying to figure out where voice was coming from.

"Charlene, I'm right here." She turned her head to the left and saw her brother's ghostly form standing in front of her.

"Thomas?" Her cracked voice scared her. She desperately wanted—no, _needed_—something to drink.

"Charlene. I didn't get to finish my conversation with you earlier."

Charlene's mind immediately tried to remember what they had been talking about. Something about Maleficent…or was it Terry? Or both, maybe?

"Maleficent was the one who brought you here, and she's got horrific plans for the three of you."

"The three of us? Who else did she take?"

"I cannot tell you, for you will soon find our yourself."

"What kind of answer is that?"

"The only one you're going to get." Thomas rolled his eyes and sat down beside her. "Look Charlie, here's the deal. In order to stop Maleficent from taking over and killing everyone, you've got to do something."

"Me?"

"You! Believe it or not, you're vital to this mission."

Charlene stared at her dead brother in disbelief. _Surely, he's lying_.

"I'm not lying Charlie."

"Did you read my thoughts?"

"I'm a ghost, duh. Ghosts can do all kinds of stuff." He smirked at her. The last thing she wanted to ask him was what had he gotten himself into. But what did it really matter, he was dead.

"So…so what do I have to do to stop her?"

"Oh. That's simple!" He stood up and walked over to the edge of the room and grabbed onto something. From where Charlene was sitting, it looked like bars. _Am I in a cell?_

He turned back to face her, leaning his back against the bars. "Charlene, in order to stop Maleficent you'll have to give up the thing you hold closest to your heart."

"How am I supposed to know what that is?"

"How am _I_ supposed to know?"

"You can read my thoughts! Surely you can tell me what's closest to my heart!"

"Besides a bunch of blood and organs and guts, I see nothing." He smirked at her.

_Smart butt,_ Charlene thought. She hoped he was reading that thought.

"I can't tell you Charlene. You have to search your heart and figure it out all on your own." He glanced over his shoulder and looked back at her with a worried expression.

He hurried over to her and sat in front of her.

"Charlene, if I were you I'd pick something that you couldn't live without. If that thing disappeared from your life, your life would be meaningless."

"And how is giving up that going to help stop Maleficent?"

"Heck if I know! I just know that you need to give it up!"

Charlene thought about what he had said. She could think of a few things she loved, but she could live without all of those if necessary. She had lived without all of her favorite things on their journey to stop Maleficent three years ago.

So what was it? What was the thing that would help stop Maleficent? Charlene couldn't think of a single thing.

She glanced back up at Thomas. "I have no clue, Thomas." She lowered her head in shame. She would have put her head in her hands if they weren't bound to the wall by chains.

"You'll figure it out Charlie. I believe in you." Thomas laid a hand on her shoulder, smiled at her and then disintegrated.

Charlene sighed. "I hope I don't want to let you down, Thomas." Charlene closed her eyes and began to think of all the things she couldn't live without.

* * *

**Please review! Seriously though, I really love reading them. Keep them coming! **

**I'll do my best to have the next chapter up as soon as possible!**


	34. The Plan That Fails

**Again, a little short...sorry about that. But hey, they all can't be super long! I hope y'all enjoy this one! :)**

* * *

Chapter 34: The Plan That Fails

"Willa, where are we going?" Finn asked his sister as they hurried along an underground secret passageway that he had never known was there.

"To see someone."

"Who would that be?"

"You'll see."

Finn turned around and glanced back at Amanda, who was currently holding their sleeping newborn son in her arms. She shrugged. At this point, Finn had absolutely zero guesses on who they were going to see.

They had been walking underneath the castle for hours upon hours when Willa finally led them up some stairs.

Upon getting to the top of the stairs, Finn froze in shock.

Standing before him was his father. The one who was supposed to be dead. Amanda and the captain stood behind him and awkwardly waited for someone to say something. Willa and his father exchanged some words before they turned to address the other three.

"Finn, I think you remember your-our-father." Willa said in a small, but confident voice.

Instead of responding, Finn nodded. He couldn't believe it. His father was _alive_.

"Finn, my son." His father held out his arms for a hug that Finn did not want to return. After a few seconds, his father lowered his arms and stepped forward. "Finn, I know you're probably upset, but I can explain everything."

"You're…you're not dead?"

"Smooth Shark Fin." The captain muttered under his breath, but Finn chose to ignore him.

"Is this your wife, Amanda I believe?" Finn's father asked him.

"That's me, your highness." Amanda said as she curtsied.

"My, she's beautiful." Finn's father smiled at Finn and walked up to Amanda. "May I hold my grandson?"

Amanda nodded and handed the baby over to him carefully so that baby Dillard wouldn't wake up.

"He looks just like you Finn when he was a baby. He's going to be a strong, brilliant young man, and a great king someday."

"Father…what are you doing here? You died fourteen years ago!"

"How about you and I go and talk privately? There's a lot we need to talk about."

Finn nodded and his father gave his grandson back to Amanda. His father motioned for a door on the far side of the room and Finn was ushered inside.

* * *

"What do you think they're talking about in there?" Terry asked Amanda and Willa. Finn and his now un-dead father had been in the other room talking about who knows what for who knows how long.

Willa shrugged. "I have no clue."

"Does your dad know anything about Maleficent?" Amanda threw the question out there without looking up from the baby.

"He knows a lot, actually."

"Like what?" Terry asked. Now that Maleficent had recently come back from the dead—similar to Finn's father—Terry wanted to know everything there was to know about her.

"She was the reason why I wasn't killed when I was a baby. She's the reason he had to fake his death. She's got a hand in just about everything in the castle, except for the past three years."

It was as if all the sound had drowned in a sea of awkwardness.

Before any of them could start talking, Finn and his father emerged from the other room. Finn put on a smile, but even Terry could see the confusion and ultimate sadness in his eyes. Based on what Terry knew of Finn, his father had most likely brought up Maleficent and what it was going to take to stop her.

Knowing Finn, he would do anything to get rid of Maleficent—even if that required his death.

"So guys," Finn clasped his hands together. "We need to go save our friends. And I've got the plan to do just that."

* * *

Philby heard the noise of feet shuffling and immediately perked up. He had been in this cell, chained to the wall for a few hours. He didn't know where he was or how long he had been knocked out, but the one thing he did know was that Maleficent was back and that Isabel was probably in danger.

"Where are we…going to put this…one?" The first voice said. It might have just been Philby, but it sounded like the person was struggling to carry something, gasping in between words.

"I…I have no clue…how about in here with this one?" A second voice said. Philby had no idea what was going on, but when the cell door started rattling, he pretended to be asleep.

He watched through squinted eyes as the door was opened and something large was thrown into the cell with him. Whatever it was hit the stone floor with a sickening _THUD!_

When the door was closed and locked, Philby opened his eyes and did his best to see what was thrown inside his cage.

He heard a groan-a sign that it was a person.

"Hey…psssh….hey you." Philby whispered, trying to get the person's attention.

Whoever it was, they either weren't hearing him or was unconscious.

Philby tried to reach with his leg and kick the person, but he couldn't move his leg very far with the chains on his ankles.

A high-pitched scream echoed through the hall. It was definitely _not_ from the person in his cell. _Who else is here?_

"Pssh!" Philby continued to stretch his leg. He was so close to being able to nudge the unconscious person with his foot.

_Just a few more inches…_

He successfully nudged the person. Whoever it was, stirred. Philby nudged again and let out a weak cry of pain. The chain around his ankle was digging into the skin. Philby was pretty sure he was bleeding, but he didn't care about that at the moment.

It was all about finding out who was in the cell with him. Especially since they weren't chained to the wall.

"Pssh! Hey, wake up!" Philby whispered as loud as he could.

The person mumbled something before moving away from Philby's foot. The voice sounded like a female and was extremely weak. Whoever she was, she was obviously hurt.

"Hey…who's there? My name is Dell Philby. What's yours?"

His whispers echoed off the stone walls of the cell. There was a moment of silence as whoever it was shifted again, moving out of Philby's line of sight.

"D-D-Dell?"

Philby's eyes went wide. "Isabel?" His voice grew more forceful. He felt the fire one would call anger ignite and spread throughout his whole body.

"Yes…where are you?"

"I'm on the wall opposite of the bars."

He heard some shuffling and before he knew it, she was right in front of him.

"Oh my gosh, Dell, you're chained to the wall!" She looked him over, searching for injuries.

"What happened? Why are you here?"

"Oh your ankle!" Willa did her best to move the chain off of the bruises and cuts, but wasn't very successful at it. Philby kept wincing in pain.

"I'm so sorry Dell. I'm…I'm trying to help."

"I know." He found her hand and took it in his. "What are you doing here, Isabel? You didn't go in after me, did you?"

"No, of course not. Jack found me and brought me to a safer place…well at least I thought it was."

"How did you end up here?" He took her chin in his other hand and examined her face. There were a few cuts, but otherwise she was still as beautiful as the day he met her.

Another scream echoed through the dungeon, its pitch deep, laced with torture and pain.

Willa's face winced as if the scream was hurting her. Her gaze lingered on the chains on his ankles for a few seconds before working her way up to his eyes. They locked eyes for a second before she finally answered him.

"I…I don't know how I got here."

* * *

**Hmm...so what happened to Finn's plan? Who's screaming? Where are they being held? What happened to Terry, Finn, Amanda & Jack? And what about the baby? Hmm...so many questions...**

**Don't worry! We have time for all of them...in the chapters to come!**

**Please review! I want to hear what y'all are thinking! Oh, and I've got another multi-chapter that I just uploaded called "Whodunnit," so please check that one out! But if you don't, I won't know, so it won't hurt my feelings or anything :P **

**Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon! :)**


	35. The Newest Couple?

**Here's the next chapter! Don't worry...it goes back and explains why Willa randomly shows up at the end of the last chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 35: The Newest Couple?

"Finn, do you know where you're going?" Amanda asked her husband in a hushed tone due to her son, still asleep in her arms.

They had just hit a crossroads in the streets of Anaheim and Finn was trying to figure out where they were. If anyone were to know where they were, that meant Maleficent would know where they were. Finn's father had warned them that she had spies everywhere. She was still confused as to why he never came with them-but Finn didn't seem to want to talk about it, so Amanda had dropped the subject.

"Yeah. The map says we go…to the…left next." Finn shoved the map his father had made for him back into his pocket and continued to the left.

"Let's hurry up then. This place gives me the creeps." Terry said as he hurried off to the left with Willa at his side.

Finn looked back at Amanda and shrugged before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and ushering her in the direction Terry and Willa had gone.

So say it was dark would have been an understatement. Amanda's visibility extended as far as she could reach, due to the fact that the moon was hidden behind clouds. The temperature had dropped significantly over the hour or so they had been walking through the town. Finn was constantly trying to warm Amanda up, but it was no use. They were both freezing. _It's the thought that counts_.

Amanda couldn't believe their son hadn't woken up yet, if she was being completely honest.

They had decided talking would only give them away, so they only talked when absolutely necessary.

Terry and Willa stopped at the end of the street and turned toward Finn and Amanda. Terry pointed to both his right and his left, indicating that he needed Finn to tell them which way to go.

Finn fished the map out of his pocket and walked over to Terry so they could whisper as they found their position.

Willa walked over to Amanda and leaned in so that she could whisper into her ear.

"I think it'd be best if we split up."

"Why would we do that? We've only got one map."

"Four people in one group is easier to catch than two people in two separate groups."

Amanda nodded in reply and Willa made her way over to Finn and Terry.

While the three talked, Amanda focused her attention on her son. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried for his safety right now. He was almost a day old and he was already in so much danger. She should have known their life couldn't stay easy and peaceful for too long. _Why couldn't it have waited until he was older? He's just a baby._

Finn made his way back to Amanda and turned her around before starting to head off to the right.

After walking a few steps, Amanda turned around and didn't see Terry or Willa behind them. She knew it was pitch black and was very hard to see, but she figured they weren't too far behind.

"Finn…Willa and Terry are behind us, right?"

Finn wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer as they walked. "No. They're going the other way. We're going to meet up at the safe house."

Amanda nodded. If she didn't already have enough to worry about, now she had to worry about both Terry _and_ Willa's safety. She hoped they made it there safely before they did. Amanda knew she couldn't handle much more stress.

* * *

They had left Finn and Amanda what felt like eons ago. Terry hadn't heard or felt Willa's presence around him in a while. But when she grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him down to her level, he jumped in fright—not that he would ever admit that to her.

"Safe house is the third house on your left, Terry." Willa whispered into his ear.

He nodded and she let go of his shoulder. When they reached the third house on the left, Terry slowly drew his sword. He turned back to look at Willa and she nodded. He noticed that she had already drew a bow.

He walked up to the door and knocked three times, then four times, then once—as Finn's father had instructed.

The door slowly opened, the eerie creaks echoing through the streets of Anaheim. Terry and Willa hurried inside and the door slammed shut behind them.

Terry looked at Willa and saw that she had the same confused look on her face. _What was that about?_

"Well…I see King Peter's up to his old tricks." The dry, raspy voice echoed throughout the empty house. Willa's hand suddenly appeared on his arm, squeezing the life out of him. It took all of his energy not to yell at her to let go.

"Oh don't you two just look adorable." A candle was lit and Maleficent's position was revealed. She was standing at the bottom of a staircase, facing them. "Are you two the newest couple in your little group of friends? Oh how I love a good scandal!"

"Shut it Maleficent!" Terry called out. "Get out of here and go back to being dead!"

Her maniacal laugh echoed throughout the house. There was a pause of silence before she spoke in a dark voice.

"Take them."

She blew out the candle.

Terry heard a few footsteps come from several directions. Willa let go of his arm and he heard a loud _THUD!_

Before Terry could react, he was hit in the back of the head and his world went black.

* * *

"Willa?" Terry's voice croaked out as he woke up. He had the worst headache. He didn't know where he was, but it wasn't in that so-called "safe house."

Either Finn's father had set them up, or Maleficent is just _that_ good.

Before Terry could decide which was true, two guards grabbed him and placed him in a chair, binding his wrists and ankles together.

"So this one's the pirate?" One of the guards said in a mocking voice.

"He don't look like no pirate." Both of the guards laughed before one of them slapped him across the face with something hard-a club maybe?

Terry looked up at the guard and spit some blood off to the side.

"You guys don't believe me? I'm as good as they get when it comes to pirates." Terry retorted.

"Sure you is." The first guard said before he walked out of the room.

"Now, now, don't worry _Captain Maybeck_." The second one pulled up a chair and sat in front of Terry. "We'll be done with you quick. Her majesty don't want us hurting you _too_ bad. She says she needs you for somethin' special."

The first guard walked back into the room with a iron pipe in his hands. The end furthest from his hand was white and yellow with heat.

"Now, _captain_. Let's have a little fun."

He pushed the iron pipe into Terry's forearm, causing him to let out a tortured scream.

* * *

Willa slowly woke up, her head lifting off of her husband's chest. She turned and made sure he was still asleep. She wiggled her way out of his embrace and scooted over toward the bars.

She searched the hallway outside of her door, but found nothing.

"Isabel?" Philby's sleepy voice called out from the other side of the cell.

Willa hurried back over to Philby.

"I'm right here, Dell."

"Good." He reached out and placed his hand on her cheek. "I had a dream that she took you."

Willa looked up to her and saw that he had been crying.

"I'm not going anywhere sweetheart." She situated herself so that she could lean her head on his shoulder.

"If Maleficent lays a hand on you, I'll kill her."

"Dell…sweetheart…let's not think about that now." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you Dell, but can we not talk about killing and death while we're here. The room's depressing enough."

"Of course, Isabel." He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the top of her head.

The shuffling of feet could be heard from down the hall and both Willa and Philby perked up.

The door of the cell swung open and a silhouette of a guard appeared.

"She wants to see you now."

* * *

**Hahahaha! I love cliffhangers _way_ too much!**

**Sorry for updating so late...that's another bad habit I have. I'm working on that, I promise.**

**Please review, I love reading them! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can! :)**


	36. Brown Eyes Turn Green

**So I have to put a disclaimer on here. No, I am not Ridley Pearson, nor will I ever be him. I'm just your average every day college girl here. **

**And for those of who you hate cliffhangers... I mean come on? What did you expect? This is _me_ we're talking about here. At least over half of these chapters are cliffhangers. Y'all should start expecting one and complain when there isn't one (it only makes logical sense).  
**

**I just want to admit, this is my ****_favorite_**** chapter so far. It's so intense and awesome and I just LOOOOOVE it! I'm not one to brag about myself..but I'm really proud of the way this one came out. It worked a _lot_ better than I expected and I'm really excited to share it with y'all. I hope y'all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

Chapter 36: Brown Eyes Turn Green

_Charlene walked into the dining hall in a glorious mood. Today was her twenty-fifth birthday and she couldn't be happier. The plans for the ball tonight were already taken care of—which meant she had the whole day to enjoy instead of fret over the details of the event._

_"Morning birthday girl." Terry said as she sat down in her seat at the table._

_"Good morning to you, Terry." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before indulging in her breakfast._

_"Wow, somebody's in a good mood."_

_"Of course I am! It's my birthday and for once I actually get the day to myself!"_

_"But I thought you got _every_ day to yourself."_

_Charlene rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. "I mean…I don't have to worry about planning the ball tonight. I finished all of it yesterday."_

_"So what are you going to do with the rest of your day?"_

_He looked over at her and she could tell he was expecting a certain answer. She decided to play with that. _

_"I was thinking about going into the town and buying a new dress. You can come if you want, I'd love a second opinion."_

_She looked up at him and gave him a pleading look. But on the inside she was laughing. His expression turned sour. She knew shopping for new dresses was the thing he hated most._

_"Well…if you really want to…it is your birthday after all." He mumbled. _

_And Charlene couldn't take it anymore. She burst out into laughter and Terry stared at her._

_"You're not going shopping are you?"_

_"No. I just wanted to see your reaction."_

_"Ha. Ha. Very funny." He suddenly became interested in his food. _

_"But in all seriousness, I have no clue what I'm going to do today."_

_"We could go to the beach," Terry immediately offered. That told Charlene that he had a plan in mind. _

_"Hmm…how about after lunch?"_

_"That works," Terry said with a smile before continuing to eat his breakfast. _

_They finished breakfast in silence. When Terry finished he pushed his plate away from him and turned to Charlene._

_"So…remember when we first met and all you wanted was to find a husband?"_

_Charlene eyed him suspiciously. _Where is he going with this?_ "Yes…"_

_"Well it's been almost three years…so I was wondering why you changed your mind?"_

_"Changed my mind on what?"_

_"On finding a husband. It was your first priority then…I was just wondering why it isn't now."_

_Charlene thought about what he was saying. Surely there's a reason as to why he is bringing this up—but Charlene couldn't figure out what._

_"I guess things changed. That's all."_

_"Well it's just that Willa and Philby got married right after they got to California, and then Finn and Amanda got married, and now they're having a baby…and it just seems like everybody's getting what you wanted so badly three years ago."_

_"What are you trying to say Terry?"_

_He shrugged, suddenly interested in the table. "I was just wondering why you haven't married some guy yet. You were so eager to marry Finn and now it's like you don't care."_

_"It's not that I don't care…it's not a lady's place to ask a man to marry her. The man's got to ask her. That's how it's always been done."_

_"So you're saying you're waiting on the right guy to ask you?"_

_"Yes. Why do you ask Terry?"_

_"Just wondering," Terry said before kissing on the cheek and leaving the room. "I'll come to your room and get you after lunch for our walk on the beach."_

_Charlene watches him as he leaves. She can't help but wonder if he's going to propose soon. They've been together three years. They're practically married! They live together, do everything together. He's basically king—he just doesn't have the title yet. Maybe that will all change soon._

The background fades to black around Terry. Slowly the background grows in color and rearranges itself into a new scene.

_This time Terry is sitting at the desk, fiddling with something small in his hands. Charlene remembers the room as the one they share while they stay in California. _

_The scene seems familiar to Charlene. Then it hits her—this is how she found him before she was taken in the garden. They fought here about Maleficent. If only she could go back and smack some common sense into herself. She sounded ridiculous, now that she thought about it._

_But Charlene hasn't arrived in the scene just yet. _

_Her point of view moves from showing Terry's back to his front. The point of view zooms in so that she can tell what is in his hands._

_In his hands is a blue diamond ring. The gold band had something carved on the inside of it, but Charlene couldn't see it. The blue diamond was small but it was beautiful. The way the light reflected off of it mesmerized Charlene. The blue diamonds were rare in Florida and were only used in the finest jewelry. _

_Charlene instantly felt horrible. _Terry must have paid a lot for that_. She knew that they shared money all of the time, but this was different. It was obviously an engagement ring and she would have never asked him to spend that much on one. _

Wait…Terry was going to propose?

_The door opened and Charlene saw herself walk in, yelling. _

_"You're a drunken fool, you know that!"_

_Terry hurried to put the ring in one of the drawers so that she couldn't see. _

_But it wouldn't matter, Charlene wouldn't have noticed._

* * *

Charlene jolted awake. She was utterly confused by the dream she just had. Her eyes searched the room for something different, but found nothing.

She heard a moan and her mind immediately went to thinking her ghost of a brother was back.

Before she said anything, she heard a voice mumble something obscene. Charlene knew it wasn't Thomas now.

"Hello?" Her voice was weak, probably due to the fact that she hadn't eaten or drank anything since she got here—wherever here was.

"Somebody else is in here? Well ain't that just swell."

Charlene's eyes went wide, not that anyone could have seen that in the pitch black cell. She knew that voice: _Terry_.

"Terry? Is that you?"

She heard some shuffling. He was probably getting into a more comfortable position. But if he was chained to the wall like her, she knew getting comfortable was impossible.

"Charlie? Where are you?"

"On the wall across from the bars."

She heard some more shuffling and before she knew it Terry was right in front of her.

"Oh, Charlie," his voice was so compassionate and sweet. Charlene had missed that. She immediately felt better just by hearing his voice. His gaze was focused on the numerous cuts on her body. Charlene was sure she had bruises too, based on the pain. "You're hurt."

He reached up and cupped her head in with his hand. Charlene noticed that when he moved his arm he winced in pain. She moved his hand off of her face and waited for his eyes to meet hers.

"What's wrong with your arm?"

"Nothing," he mumbled, turning his gaze to the floor.

"You're lying to me. What happened? What did they do to your arm?"

"Nothing, Charlie. Don't worry about it."

He moved to sit on her right side, giving her a quick view of his right arm. On it was a nasty wound that looked as if it had been burned as well.

"Terry!" Charlene scolded him in her loudest whisper. "Your arm! It's…it's…"

"It'll be alright."

"No it won't, Terry. Let me see it."

"What are you going to do about it? There's nothing here that can help it."

"I can cover it up with a piece of clothing."

He eyed her suspiciously and a smirk slowly formed on his face.

"You want me to take off my shirt, don't you?"

"WHAT? No, of course not! I was going to rip a part of my sleeve off."

"Sure you were Charlie." He winked and nudged her with his left elbow.

"You're impossible!"

* * *

"Third house on the left," Finn whispered into Amanda's ear as they walked along the quiet streets of Anaheim. The sun about to rise. If they wanted to get to the safe house without Maleficent knowing, they would have to hurry.

They got to the door of the safe house his father had mentioned and knocked three times, then four times, then once.

They waited in silence for a few minutes before Jack opened the door for them. Finn and Amanda hurried inside and sat down in the nearest chairs. Amanda was trying her best to keep their son quiet, just as she had been doing for the past hour or so.

"Father, what are you doing here? You said you weren't coming with us!"

"Finn, I had to come and warn you."

"Another warning?" Amanda asked. She looked as if she was about to say something else, but the baby started crying and she started trying to calm him down.

"What warning?" Finn asked his father.

"Your sister, Isabel, and the pirate—"

"Captain Maybeck."

"Yes, him. They were both taken before getting to the safe house."

"WHAT?" Finn couldn't stand this. This meant the only person left was his wife. _What was Maleficent planning?_

"I'm sorry, son. But it seems as if you and your wife are the only two left."

"How do you know this?" Amanda asked. Something about her tone of voice suggested that she wasn't happy with Jack. But Finn figured that was because he had just told them that two more of their friends had just gone missing.

"I saw it myself."

"You _saw_ them being taken?"

"Yes, my dear."

"And why didn't you try and stop it from happening?"

"What can an old man like me do?"

"So you just stood by and _let_ them be taken?" Finn now knew that Amanda was beyond furious.

"What do you expect me to do, my dear?"

"Yell? Scream? Do something! If it had been Finn or I that had been taken, would you have just stood by and let them take us? Finn's your son for crying out loud!"

"Amanda, my dear—"

"Stop calling me 'my dear!'"

"Alright, I know you are furious now, but you must understand that an old man like me could not do anything to stop them."

"But you could have at least tried!"

"Then they might have taken me to—or worse, killed me."

"But you're already a 'dead man.' You said so yourself to us earlier! You've been 'dead' for years!"

"Amanda, you are taking my words out of context."

"Willa is your daughter! And you just let her get taken by your archenemy! What kind of father does that?"

The tension in the room was ridiculously high. Amanda and Finn's father stared at each other, neither wanting to concede to the other. Finn could have sworn he saw his father's eyes flicker green for a second, but it happened so fast Finn just thought he was seeing things.

Finn wasn't sure what to do. He knew the right thing to do was to stand by his wife, but she was attacking his long-lost father. Both were noble choices, but both would be the death of him.

"I was never Isabel's father," Finn's father whispered in a small voice. "She might biologically be my daughter, but she grew up in another household. She never has and will never see herself as my daughter. She will also never see me as her father." He took a deep breath. "She wouldn't want me to save her."

The emotional deepness of the statement rendered both Amanda and Finn speechless.

* * *

_Charlene was on her knees, shaking with fear. There were tears streaming down her face. There were bruises and cuts all over her body, but you could still see her beauty—a quality that Jess had always been envious of._

_Now that Jess looked, the room seemed to never end. She stopped worrying about that when a deep voice echoed through the seemingly endless room. _

_"Now, your majesty, _Queen Charlene_, I offer you a choice. Your life or his."_

_Out of no where, Terry appeared. He had awful looking wounds on his arms—a combination of blood and burns. Jess wasn't sure what could cause something like that, but she didn't want to know._

_Jess also noticed his wrists and ankles were tied and his mouth had a gag in it. He was staring at Charlene shaking her head. _

_Jess glanced back between the two of them. It was obvious what was going on. _

_She was going to tell the unknown captor to take her life over his and Terry knew it. He was trying his best to convince her otherwise. _

_But upon studying Charlene's face more, she realized that she wasn't planning on giving up her life. Maybe Terry was convincing her not to sacrifice herself. _

_"So your majesty, who shall we kill?" The deep voice asked._

_Charlene looked in the direction of the voice. Who the voice belonged to, Jess could still not see._

_"Kill—"_

* * *

Jess didn't want to open her eyes. She wanted to know what Charlene said. She searched for something that she could draw with, but found nothing.

Jess closed her eyes, trying to remember every detail of what she just saw. She might not be able to draw her dream down, but she was going do her best to commit the dream to memory.

Two of her friends were in a life or death situation. Charlene had the final word on who lived and who died.

Jess was hoping that she was wrong this time. But her hope was withering fast, for her dreams were rarely wrong.

* * *

Willa and Philby were escorted down the labyrinth of hallways in the dungeon. Philby had only been in the cell for a little less than a day, but he still had several wounds that were reopening upon being dragged through the halls.

Eventually they were led into a large stone room and pushed to their knees.

Even though the room was dark, he noticed her hand. He reached over with all the strength he had left and grabbed it. He started using his thumb to stroke her finger, like he did when she needed to relax. He hoped that him doing this would give her a little spark of hope.

He glanced in her direction and she gave him a quick-lived, weak smile. He mouthed the words "I love you" before the two guards suddenly left the room.

He gave her hand a quick squeeze for reassurance when Maleficent appeared at the other end of the room, a candle in hand.

"This room is too dark, I think we should change that, don't you?"

She snapped her finger and the entire room was immediately illuminated by hundreds of candles lining the walls.

"Now isn't this just precious. You two are such a moving love story. I must say, I'm very impressed. Something about true love is very hard to destroy. It's so precious and adorable but also so troublesome and annoying."

* * *

Willa knew Maleficent was talking, but she wasn't really focusing in on that. Against the wall behind her was a table. And on that table there were several flasks and bottles. Seeing the table brought her mind back to the house she grew up in.

* * *

_"Momma! Momma!" Isabel yelled as she walked into the house. She just _had _to tell her about the latest trouble her brothers had caused._

_Even though they had just moved into a bigger house near the castle, Isabel liked the fact that she could still yell and be heard all across the house._

_When she didn't hear her mother reply, she continued down the main hallway toward her mother's bedroom. The door was open, which meant his mother wasn't in there. _

_Frustrated and confused, Isabel doubled back and headed up the stairs to the second floor._

_"Momma! Are you up here?"_

_Still no reply. Something about the whole situation was off. Her mother always answered when she called. _

_Isabel reached the top of the spiral staircase and immediately heard some whispering coming from one of the rooms at the end of the hall. She looked at the floor and saw that there was a green light coming out from the bottom of the door._

_Isabel slowly tip-toed up to the door and opened it, trying her best to avoid making any sound._

_Inside she saw something that was hard to describe. _

_Her mother had her back turned to Isabel and was messing with flasks and bottles, chanting something incoherent as she went._

_Isabel watched as she moved throughout the room, mixing certain flasks with certain bottles. Some of the liquids would stay the same, but others would rapidly change colors and sometimes even produce a little smoke._

_Isabel's mother paused for a second and drank one of the flasks at the end. The liquid inside was a deep green color with lime green sprinkled in. Her mother cringed, as if the liquid tasted bad, but quickly regained her composure and continued on with what she was doing._

_Isabel had had enough of the confusion. She wanted answers. Now._

_"Momma?" _

_Isabel's mother turned around so fast it scared her. Her eyes were green—which threw Isabel off. Her mother's eyes are brown._

_"Isabel! Get out of here!"_

_The voice didn't belong to her mother._

_Out of fright, Isabel fled the room and ran back down the stairs. There was something going on, but Isabel feared that if she dug deeper she would find the truth._

_And it was the truth that scared her the most._

* * *

Willa was brought out of her flashback by Philby squeezing her hand. She quickly glanced around the room and found the table again. On the end of the table was a flask with the same green liquid in it.

There was something in that liquid that had changed her mother and Maleficent was in possession of it now.

_Did Maleficent do that to my mother?_ Willa asked herself.

"Now, my dear Princess Isabel. There is something you must know."

Willa brought her attention to Maleficent, who was now only a few feet away from her. Willa was still confused as to why she was here with Philby. _Was she here just to give us information? What could she possibly gain from that?_

"You must have been worried about your family all those years spent in that horrible cell of yours. I now can give you some clarity concerning that, if you wish."

"You killed them all, I am not stupid." Willa retorted back without breaking eye contact. She was not in the mood for one of Maleficent's mind games that she was notorious for doing back in the four years Willa spent in her castle.

"No, my dear you are not. You're very intelligent, actually. Quite impressive for a woman of your age. But I must say you were fed false information. One of your family members died a long time before you thought."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means that one of your family is an imposter. Or was, anyway."

"What blasphemy is this?" Philby called out. "Someone in her family, an imposter? You're making no sense Maleficent!"

"Oh, but yes I am. For if she looks back far enough into her adopted family's history, she'll find that the woman she called 'mother' actually died only days after Isabel was sent to live with them."

"You're making this up!" Willa yelled. She was tired of people telling her that her whole life was based on lies.

"Am I?" Maleficent raised an eyebrow. She walked over to the table and grabbed a scroll that Willa had not noticed before.

Maleficent walked over and handed it to Willa. "See for yourself, my dear."

* * *

As Philby watched Willa read over the scroll, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. Her whole life was built on lies. And the longer Maleficent was alive, the deeper the lies become. Philby couldn't help but wonder if Maleficent had made these lies up. What if Willa really wasn't Finn's sister? What if she's not really royalty? What if her whole life wasn't built on lies? What if Maleficen's version of the truth was the lie?

The what if's stopped coming when Willa let go of Philby's hand and dropped the scroll. She buried her head in her hands.

Philby placed a hand on her shoulder, for he knew that if he got much closer, Maleficent would hurt them—and the last thing he wanted was for Willa to get hurt.

"So you see I'm telling the truth." Maleficent said as she grabbed the scroll from the ground. "Someone was impersonating your adopted mother all of those years. Someone who wanted to hurt you."

"Leave me alone!" Willa's hands moved to her ears, as if to block out Maleficent's voice.

"Someone was there from the beginning. Watching you, feeding you, being there for you when you cried. They wanted to gain your trust, make you feel wanted, make you feel loved. Why Isabel? Why would someone do that?"

"STOP IT!" Philby yelled, but Maleficent didn't seem to hear him. She got down on one knee and leaned in close to Willa's face. If the guard hadn't come out of nowhere to restrain him, he would have lunged for her.

"Someone wanted you to suffer the way that you did. Someone made sure you ended up in my dungeon for four years, only to escape with the help of Jezebel."

Maleficent's smile grew wider and Philby tried so hard to get away from the guard holding him back.

"But luckily for you and I, Isabel. Someone brought us together again. Someone wanted to see you suffer…again."

"Leave me alone! I've done nothing against you Maleficent! Why do you insist on doing this to me?" Willa's weak and pained voice broke Philby's heart.

"Because, my dear." Maleficent stood up and walked over to Philby. Now there were two guards restraining him, but Philby was not going to give up yet.

"I need someone brave and strong to help me with a special project of mine. And the only way I can get that person to help is through you." Maleficent's hand stroked Philby's face. His anger was spreading fast. He could see red spots in his vision.

Philby had never felt this angry before in his life.

"I need you, Isabel to help me. And if you do so, both of you shall have the happy ending to your precious little love story, I assure you that."

Something about her smirk convinced Philby that the ending to their love story would be anything _but_ happy.

"So, what do you say, Isabel? Will you help me?"

"DON'T HELP HER ISABEL! SHE'S LYING TO YOU!"Philby yelled as fast as he could. A third guard came out of no where and gagged him, cutting his voice off.

"Don't listen to him, Isabel." Maleficent's alleviating voice created a different ambiance in the room. The tension that once filled the room vanished without a trace. Now it was just Willa and Maleficent.

Maleficent walked over to the table and picked up the flask on the end. "Listen to me, my dear. All you have to do is drink this and both of you shall be saved."

Philby shook his head furiously.

Willa looked up at Maleficent for a split second before glancing over at Philby.

"How will that flask save us both?" Willa asked Maleficent without taking her eyes off of Philby.

"If I could explain the workings of magic to you my dear, I would." Maleficent sighed dramatically. "But alas, I cannot."

Philby wished he could say something, but the gag rendered him involuntarily speechless.

Something about Maleficent's voice was different, but Philby couldn't figure out what.

"So, Isabel. The choice is yours."

Willa turned her head and look up at Maleficent. Maleficent held out the flask to her.

"You can either drink this, and save both you and your husband." The sparkle in Maleficent's eye was screaming deception and horrors to Philby. He just hoped and prayed that his wife was seeing the same thing as him. "Or you can choose not to drink this, and your husband will die a slow painful death and you will be forced to watch."

Willa's eyes widened.

_No, no, no, no, no, Isabel! Don't listen to her! It's a lose-lose situation! We can't win! She's not going to save either of us!_ Philby wished he could say these things to her now, but he couldn't.

"So, Isabel, which choice do you choose?"

* * *

**Sorry guys, I ****_had_**** to. This is by far the longest chapter I've ever written. I couldn't write too much more, or I would ****_never_**** be able to find a good stopping point!**

**I hope y'all enjoyed that one as much as I did! Please review! I want to know what y'all are thinking so far of the story! ****And be completely honest. If you think I'm evil for creating all of these cliffhangers (cough, cough, **PrincessWilla101**, cough cough), tell me! Or if you have something nicer to say, that works too! I'll update as soon as I can! Enjoy the rest of your day/night! :)**


	37. A Witch, a Potion, & a Silver Bracelet

**Yay! 200+ reviews! How awesome is that? **

**Oh and if y'all thought last chapter was good...oh dang...you're going to _love_ this chapter. **

**Enough said, here's chapter 37. Right where the last chapter picked off.**

* * *

Chapter 37: A Witch, a Potion & a Silver Bracelet

Willa couldn't think straight. It was almost as if something was clouding all of her thoughts. She heard only certain things that were being said. It was as if her ears were eliminating all sound except for Maleficent's voice.

It was strange, but Willa's clouded thoughts wouldn't allow her to process it much further than that.

"You can either drink this, and save both you and your husband." There was a twinkle in Maleficent's eye. "Or you can choose not to drink this, and your husband will die a slow painful death and you will be forced to watch."

Willa's eyes widened. She didn't want for Philby to die—especially if she had to watch him being tortured to death.

"So Isabel, which choice do you choose?"

She glanced over at Philby and saw him shaking his head. He was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't tell what. She looked back at Maleficent.

Even though her brain was clouded and her head felt heavy, some thoughts were going through her head. Willa began to slowly process what was going on. Maleficent was very deceitful. Willa should probably assume that she's lying to her, that both options end in death for both of them. But something about Maleficent seemed truthful, reliable…and…and…honest.

Willa looked Maleficent in the eyes and suddenly all of the clouds in her brain disappeared. Something clicked and everything made sense.

Maleficent was someone she should trust. Drinking the liquid would most definitely save Philby and herself. Maleficent would _never_ hurt her.

"I choose to drink the liquid…as long as it'll save us both."

Maleficent's smile became warm and inviting. She held out the flask for Willa to take.

"Excellent choice, my dear."

She motioned for the guards to take the gag off of Philby's mouth.

"ISABEL! NO! DON'T LISTEN TO HER! SHE'S LYING TO YOU!" Philby yelled in the background, but to Willa it sounded muffled and distant.

"Do not listen to him, he doesn't know what's best for him. Go ahead, Isabel, drink."

Willa took the cork out of the flask without a second guess. It was as if Maleficent's voice was controlling her. Deep down Willa knew better than to drink it, but it was as if her body wasn't listening to her. It was taking commands from Maleficent.

Willa unwillingly put the flask up to her lips and drank the green liquid.

At first nothing happened. Willa looked up at Maleficent and watched as her warm, inviting smile turned into an evil grin.

"Excellent," her dry, raspy voice said before breaking into a maniacal laugh.

Willa, confused as to what she had just done, looked to Philby for answers and saw that he was just as confused as her.

"What did you make her drink?" He shouted. It was as if someone had turned up the volume in the room. She could hear everything again—not just Maleficent.

"Just a little something I've been using for years on insolent fools." Maleficent walked back over to the table and waved the guards off of Philby.

Suddenly Willa's stomach felt like it was going to burst. She doubled over in pain and Philby ran over to her. She let out a small cry of pain.

"Isabel!"

The only reply Willa could manage was tears. She felt as if her insides were going to implode upon themselves.

"Stop whatever you're doing to her right now Maleficent, or so help me!"

Maleficent, in return, laughed. "She made the choice all on her own. She brought this upon herself."

Maleficent put a silver bracelet on her right arm and immediately Willa's pain stopped. Willa took a few deep breaths before regaining her composure.

"Now, time for the fun part." Something about her grin sent chills up Willa's spine. _What had Maleficent forced her into?_

* * *

"Will you explain the plan again to me, Finn?" Amanda asked. She knew Finn was getting frustrated at her confusion, but his plan wasn't simple. So really, it was his fault.

"We're going to have to get ourselves caught by Maleficent. It's the only way we can know where she's keeping our friends. We get captured, then we fight from the inside and work our way out."

"But what about Dillard?"

Finn was quiet for a second. That could only mean one of two things. Either he was thinking of something, because he hadn't thought of that yet. Or he already had a plan for their son, and he knew she wasn't going to like it.

"Wanda. She'll be able to keep him until we can get back."

"Do you know where she is? We haven't seen her since Christmas."

"I have an idea of where she is."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "That doesn't answer my question."

"I know, but the less we talk, the less Maleficent knows."

He walked toward the door of the safe house, put away his sword and pulled his hood over his head. It was now mid-morning, which meant they would have until nightfall to get Dillard to safety before Maleficent's forces would be coming after them.

"Are we going to be able to make it there in time?" She asked him. She had to know this before they left. She wasn't going to risk her son's life for Finn's plan. That simply wouldn't do.

Finn turned around, his back to the door, and nodded. "Wanda's not too far away. We can make it here and back before then."

Amanda nodded and pulled her hood over her head.

"Don't worry Amanda, I have a plan that'll get all of our friends back—assuming Maleficent is where my father says she is."

Finn opened the door and they stepped out onto the busy streets of Anaheim. They couldn't afford for anyone to notice them now. They had to get their son to safety first. Then Finn's plan would be put into action.

Amanda just hoped they would be able to make it to Wanda before Maleficent made it to them.

* * *

"Alright, my dear. Let's give this a test run, shall we?" Maleficent asked Willa. Philby wasn't sure what was going on, but he had a feeling it was going to be _very_ bad for both of them.

Maleficent moved the bracelet until she was satisfied with its spot on her arm. She gave the couple a wily grin that made Philby cringe.

Philby wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and held on tight—preparing for the worst.

Maleficent closed her eyes and mumbled something. Once she opened her eyes, her eyes immediately locked in on Willa.

"You're in the presence of the future world ruler, Isabel. I believe you should bow."

Willa bowed immediately.

"What's going on?" Her voice was weak.

"No, I think sitting on the floor would suit an insolent fool like you much better."

Willa sat on the floor immediately, without a second to waste.

"What are you doing to her?" Philby asked Maleficent. This was some kind of magic he had never seen her use. And it scared the daylights out of him.

Maleficent promptly ignored him. "Get up, Isabel."

Willa got up and stood. "Dell…I can't control what I'm doing," she whispered to him as quietly as she could.

"Now slap your husband across the face."

Willa turned to Philby and slapped him as hard as she could. She mouthed the word "sorry" as soon as she did it.

_At least she can still think for herself,_ Philby decided. _There's hope of stopping this curse._

"Ah, it's good to have this back." Maleficent moved the bracelet along her arm again. "I've missed having this kind of power."

"Now, Isabel. I've got things to do. I'll ask that you go back into your cell and wait for me to return." She turned to leave the room, but glanced back at us. "And make sure your husband goes back into his chains. We can't have him trying to escape now can we?"

One of the guards opened the door as Maleficent left and Willa grabbed a hold of Philby's arm. Without really thinking about it, she started walking back to the cell with her head looking down in shame, as if looking at him would make it worse.

They made it back to their cell in silence, and just like she was commanded to, Willa put him back in his chains and sat down beside him.

Almost immediately she placed her head in her hands and started to cry.

"Dell…what if she makes me do something awful? I couldn't live with myself if I did something like that."

Philby reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Don't you worry, Isabel. There's got to be a way to get rid of this curse."

"I did this to myself, Dell. I made the stupid decision."

"You did what you thought was best. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is!" Willa yelled out, leaving a few seconds of open-ended silence. She took a few deep breaths and continued in a whisper. "I know better, but it was as if she was using magic to convince me otherwise. She _wanted _me to drink that. She's got something evil planned, I just know it."

"Isabel, don't worry. I'm going to get you out of this. I promise." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm your knight in shining armor, remember? I'll get you out of this alive, I can promise you at least that much."

They stayed quiet like that for a few minutes before she wiped the last tears away and spoke quietly.

"Dell, it's times like this where I know I don't deserve you."

"You know, Isabel, I was going to say the same thing to you."

"That makes no sense." She turned up and looked at him with a confused look.

"Sure it does."

When she raised her eyebrows, he realized he needed to explain.

"Isabel, darling, you're the love of my life. The past three years have been the _best_ of my life. You've always been there for me, no matter what. Just having the pleasure of coming home to you every night is enough to get me through the day. You always greet me with a smile and a hug, and if you're in a good mood, a kiss." He smiled at the memories. They seemed so far away, but in reality, they were doing that just a few days ago.

"You're the most intelligent person I've ever met, Isabel. Every time I talk to you, I learn something new. That is, when I'm not distracted by how beautiful you are." She rolled her eyes playfully. "You're kind and caring to every person you meet, no matter who it is. Despite all the horrors that you've had to live through, you always manage to find a reason to smile."

Willa smiled up at him. He wrapped his arm tighter around her.

"And that, Isabel, is why I don't deserve you."

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you, Dell. Nothing Maleficent can do or say will _ever_ change that."

* * *

_Two Days Later…_

Charlene slowly woke up. The lack of food and water was really starting to get to her. She lifted her head off of Terry's shoulder and saw someone standing over her and let out a brief shriek of fear.

"Geez, Charlie. I know I look bad and all with the blood on my head and stuff, but seriously? You didn't scream the last two times!" Thomas crossed his arms.

"Thomas?" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you figured out what your 'thing you hold closest to your heart' was."

"Why now?"

"Because you're going to have to give it up pretty soon."

"How soon?"

"I can't tell you _everything_, Charlie! I can only give you so much!"

"Well why can't you just tell me what's the thing I have to give up. That'll make it much easier!"

Thomas rolled his eyes. "Come on Charlie. Think! You'll have to physically hand something over to Maleficent. What do you have here?" He motioned to the empty cell room.

"None of my possessions are here!"

Thomas rolled his eyes again. "What do you have here _in this cell_ that you love a lot? It's got to be something _or someone_ that you can't live without."

Charlene was still confused. None of her material things were here with her. How could she give up something that wasn't with her?

_Wait…did he say some_one?

Charlene looked back at Terry and saw that he was fast asleep. Now that she thought about it, she really _couldn't_ live without him. She looked back up at Thomas.

"I can't give him up, Thomas."

"That's why you have to, Charlene."

"She's going to kill him."

"Perhaps. But it'll stop her for good."

"That makes no sense."

Thomas threw up his hands in frustration. "I don't make up the rules of the game, okay? If I did, I would just snap my fingers and all of you would be back to safety! But I can't!"

Charlene didn't realize she was crying until she felt a tear slip off of her cheek and fall onto the cold, stone ground.

"So when the time comes, I just have to hand him over to her?"

"That's the only way that makes sense."

"I don't want him to die, Thomas. I love him."

Thomas reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. Despite the fact that he was a ghost, she could still feel his touch.

"I know you do, Charlene. I hate that things had to work out this way."

"Can't I take his place? I don't want to live without him, Thomas."

"It has to be this way, Charlene. I'm sorry, I really am."

Terry stirred but did not wake up.

"He's going to wake up soon. I'd better go." Thomas took a step back.

"Thomas?"

"Yeah sis?"

Charlene held back tears. "How much longer do I have with him?"

"Not too long," Thomas looked on the verge of tears himself. _Can ghosts even cry?_

"I'm sorry Charlene. I hate that things have to end up this way. If it's any consolation, I still love you. And you're the best dang queen Florida has ever seen."

He smiled at her. His smiles were something she could never resist. She gave in and smiled back at him. "I love you too Thomas."

"I hope we get the chance to talk again."

"Me too."

Terry opened his eyes and Thomas disappeared.

"Charlie?"

"I'm right here," Charlene said as she moved back to sitting by Terry.

"Good." He reached over and grabbed her hand.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, holding back tears. This was the beginning of the end for them. She didn't want to waste those precious few hours they had left.

"How are you this morning Charlene? Well…at least I think it's morning."

"I'm hungry, if I'm being completely honest. And thirsty." They both shared a quick laugh. "How's your arm?"

"It's fine," Terry retorted quickly. "I want to know what's going on here with Maleficent. If she's planning on having us starve to death, that's lame. That doesn't seem like her."

Charlene nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Terry spoke.

"Whatever happens, Charlene, I want you to know that I love you."

Charlene took a deep breath so that she didn't cry. _He knows. He has to. I can't do this, I can't._

"I…I…love you too."

They heard the shuffling of feet outside of their cell and before they knew it a guard appeared at the bars.

The guard unlocked the door and swung it open.

"I need Queen Charlene," the guard said in a deep voice. For some reason, the deep voice wasn't what Charlene was expecting from the guard.

"I'm chained to the wall."

"Of course you are," the guard sarcastically muttered under his breath. He walked over and unlocked the chains. He grabbed her by the arm and walked her out of the cell-all without looking up at either of them. While locking the cell door back, he glanced up at Terry, winked and tipped his hat at him.

Charlene's anger boiled inside of her. _How dare he mock him? I'm sure if Terry was feeling better, he would have attacked. She was sure of it._

The guard grabbed her arm again and escorted her through the labyrinth of a dungeon. After walking for a long time, he pulled her into a random room and shut the door.

In the room was a table in the corner with a few chairs. There was a small candle sitting in the middle of the table and it was lit, giving the room an eerie look.

The guard took off his hat and his jacket, immediately relaxing into a chair in the corner of the room. A second person that Charlene had not seen before reached over and placed their hand on the guard's shoulder.

"Aren't you coming to sit with us Charlene?" The guard asked her.

"Who are you? What am I doing here? What are you going to do with Terry?"

"Ssshhh!" The second person said as the walked up to her. The person was dressed in a long dark green dress and had a black cape over it. Around her neck was the silver necklace that Terry had found by his ship a few days ago.

"How do you have that?" Charlene said as she pointed to the necklace.

"Charlene, do you not recognize us?" The first guard asked.

"I don't associate myself with Maleficent and her army of idiots."

"If we were _actually_ associated with her, I'd be really ticked at you right now." The second person said as she put her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean, 'if you were actually associated with her?'"

The second person rolled her eyes before removing her hood from her face. The first guard walked up and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Charlene, we need you to come talk to us. I have a plan to get all of us out of here alive."

Charlene looked at the couple before her in disbelief. Before her was Amanda and Finn. They had gotten in Maleficent's dungeon undetected, now impersonating guards. All of her hope was restored.

Finn had a plan. That was all the reassurance Charlene needed.

* * *

**And the plot thickens! We're working our way up to the big EPIC finale that I've got planned. Oh goodness it's going to be great! :)**

**So what does Maleficent have planned for Willa & her curse? Will Philby be able to break the curse before Maleficent can carry out her plans? Will Charlene hand Maybeck over to Maleficent, as Thomas tells her she'll have to? What about Jess? Where's she during all of this? What's Finn's plan? And more importantly, will it work?  
**

**Find out in the chapters to come! Please review, I _love_ reading them and I'd love to see what y'all think are the answers to the questions above. Also, tell me what you like/dislike! I purposely didn't end this chapter in a cliffhanger for those of you who actually review, since almost _every_ review mentioned that for at least the last 5 or so chapters. **

**I'll update as soon as I can. Enjoy your weekend! :)**


	38. An Unexpected Outcome

**Here's chapter 38! Finn's plan's finally put into action!**

* * *

Chapter 38: An Unexpected Outcome

Finn walked down the hallway, covering his face with his hat. The last thing he would want is for someone to recognize him. He couldn't fail his friends now. This plan_ had_ to work. Finn was going to make it work.

Amanda had left to go find Jess while Charlene was sitting in the empty room waiting on Finn to return with the captain. Finn's plan was going to require a ton of acting on her part. He just hoped she was able to do so. For their plan to work, he needed the captain to believe everything that was happening.

He walked down the hall toward the captain's cell and pulled out the key. Without looking up from the lock, he worked on unlocking the door as quietly as he could.

The captain didn't get the memo of being quiet.

"What did you do with Charlene? Where is she? If she's dead I swear I'm going to kill you!"

Finn rolled his eyes. _If he only knew_.

Once he unlocked the door, he opened it and walked in.

"Get up," Finn said in a deep voice. He didn't want to give himself away. "We're going somewhere."

"You won't take me anywhere! Not without some answers."

Finn rolled his eyes again. _Is he always like this?_

"We're going to see your precious _Charlene_." Finn reached down, grabbed the captain's arm and pulled him to his feet. "You don't have to be so annoying about it. I really don't want to have to hurt you." He grabbed the rope hanging over his shoulder and started tying his hands together.

"Yeah, whatever."

Finn reached into his back pocket and pulled out a gag. "Look, I don't want to have to do this, but I think it's necessary."

Instead of replying, the captain glared at him.

Finn walked behind the captain and tied the gag around his mouth loosely—just loose enough for Finn to be able to rip it off without difficulty later.

Finn led the captain down the hall, still keeping his identity a secret. If the captain was to know that he was involved, the plan wasn't going to work. The captain was just too unpredictable to even _risk_ telling him who he was.

The two walked in silence as Finn led the captain down the halls to the room where he had left Charlene.

He opened the door to find Charlene on her knees, shaking with fear—just like they had rehearsed.

Finn threw the captain to the floor and drew his sword. Finn noticed two shadows in the back of the room—and he nodded in their direction.

_Let the show begin._

* * *

Jess stared on at the scene before her. Amanda had come out of nowhere and pulled in here, promising that after this they can go find Willa and Philby. Something was going to happen in this room—something important.

Charlene was on her knees, crying.

_Something about this seems familiar…_

A guard brought Terry in and threw him to the ground. He then drew his sword and pointed it at Charlene.

"Now your majesty, _Queen Charlene_, I offer you a choice. Your life," he moved his sword to point at Terry, "or his."

Terry looked over at Charlene and shook his head. Jess saw the gag over his mouth—disabling him from speaking.

_Where have I seen this before? _Jess asked herself.

Then it hit her. She had seen this happen before in a dream.

Somebody was going to die. Charlene was going to choose.

Jess felt her heart sink her chest. She grabbed onto Amanda's arm tight.

Charlene had tears streaming down her face. Terry was still shaking his head, in attempt to convince her not to sacrifice herself. He wanted to be the one to die. He couldn't watch her die.

But Jess couldn't watch it happen to _either_ of them.

"And your answer is?" The deep-voiced guard asked. Something about his voice seemed fake to Jess.

Charlene looked up at the guard and wiped a few tears from her face.

"Take…his life…not mine." She hung her head and let a few more tears run off of her face and hit the stone cold ground.

Terry yelled something, but the gag muffled it. Jess figured it was something along the lines of "I love you," but she would never be sure.

The guard turned to Terry. "You've made your choice."

The guard walked behind Terry and raised his sword.

"STOP!" Jess yelled. She would have yelled more, but Amanda placed her hand over her mouth.

The guard lowered his sword down and hit Terry on the top of his head with the handle of the sword. Terry's body went limp and he fell to the floor.

Charlene stood up almost immediately and Amanda went over to the guard.

Jess stood there in disbelief. She was more confused now than she had been when she had seen Charlene making her decision in her dream. This was the _last_ thing she was expecting when it came to the outcome.

The guard started talking, this time his voice was different, this time sounding more familiar. "Okay, will you two get him? I'll go get Willa. Jess, can you get Philby?"

"What's going on?" Jess took a step back. How did he know her name? How did he know Amanda? What was going on?

"Jess, I need you to go find Philby. I'll get Willa and we'll meet back here, okay?"

"Finn?"

"Yeah? Who else?" Finn took off his hat for a few seconds so that she could see his face before putting it back on his head. He walked over to a corner in the room and returned with a sword and a set of keys.

"Here's a sword and the biggest key is the one that unlocks all of the cell doors." Finn thrust both items into her hand. "Now go, I've got to get Willa before Maleficent does something horrible."

Finn ran out of the room without a second thought. Amanda and Charlene hurried to prop Terry up against a wall.

Amanda glanced over her shoulder and saw Jess still standing there.

"Jess? Go!"

Before Jess could hear Amanda yell at her again, Jess left the room. She had no clue where Philby was, but she needed to find him as soon as possible.

* * *

The sound of a guard unlocking the cell door woke Willa and Philby up.

"Get up, Isabel." The guard said in a harsh tone.

"What's the meaning of this?" Philby asked, standing up as fast as he could.

"The Lady Maleficent has requested an audience with Isabel."

The guard walked over and put a hand on Willa's shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Don't you lay your filthy hands on her!" Philby struggled against the chains.

The guard promptly ignored him and pushed Willa to a standing position. He grabbed her arm and shoved her toward the cell door.

"Isabel!" Philby yelled, his wrists almost bleeding from the strain the chains had put on them.

Before the guard had pushed her all the way out of the cell, Willa turned back to Philby with tears in her eyes.

"I love you, Dell!"

Before Philby could answer, the guard pushed Willa out of the cell and down the hall, slamming the cell door shut behind him.

Philby hesitated for a few, brief seconds before sitting back down.

"I love you, too, Isabel," he whispered.

* * *

Willa had never felt so useless in her life. Maleficent had ordered her to sit in a chair and be quiet, and due to her curse she had brought upon herself, Willa obeyed. Despite the fact that Willa couldn't move out of the chair, even if she wanted to, Maleficent still had each of her feet tied to a leg of the chair and her hands tied behind its back.

Maleficent had excused herself from the room, telling Willa to wait until she returned. Willa knew it had something to do with the many potions on the table.

All she could do is wait, wait for the inevitable to happen.

Maleficent was going to use her for something horrible. Because of the curse, Willa would obey with no questions asked. And then she would feel horrible about it for the rest of her life.

_What if she makes me kill Dell or one of my other friends? I...I couldn't live with that. _

The sound of a rock skipping across the stone floor brought Willa out of her thoughts.

She searched the room for any sign of movement, but found none. She would have talked, but she was too afraid.

It was a few painful minutes of paranoia before Willa took a deep sigh of relief. She was just hearing things.

"Willa?"

Willa jumped in her chair. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Finn."

Willa relaxed, the tears of joy were overwhelming. "Finn?"

Before she knew it, the ropes binding her hands were cut. A few seconds later, Finn appeared in front of her, kneeling in front of her chair. He drew his sword and cut the ropes binding her legs to the chair.

He helped her stand up and pulled her in for a hug. His hand rubbed up and down her back as the tears spilled down her face, staining his shirt. Willa honestly never thought she was going to see her brother again.

He let go of her and held her at arm's length.

"How did you get here?" Willa asked her brother.

"A long story," Finn looked past Willa for a brief second. "But now, we've got to get you out of here."

"What about Dell?"

"Jess is getting him. Don't worry about him, Willa. He's going to make it out." He took a deep sigh of relief. "We all are."

He gave her a smile and she couldn't help but trust him. That was one thing about her brother: he was a natural leader.

Willa wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him another hug. "Thanks for not giving up on us, Finn," she whispered into his ear.

"You don't give up on family, Willa."

He let go of her.

"We've got to go now Willa, before Maleficent comes back."

Willa nodded and grabbed his hand. "We're doing this together."

Finn raised his eyebrow. "Why would we do it any other way?"

* * *

**Sorry about the shortness, but this was a good stopping point. The epic finale is fast approaching guys! And it won't disappoint ;)**

**Any ideas on how Finn's planning on getting them all out? What about defeating Maleficent? **

******Please review! I want to know what y'all are thinking about the story so far, especially now that we're so far into it. Have a great weekend! :)**


	39. Fighting For All That's Good

**Okay guys! Here's the last chapter...**

**...**

**JUST KIDDING! :) [I know some of you about had heart attacks, I apologize...I had couldn't resist!] **

**But we're close...so brace yourselves! Here's chapter 39!**

* * *

Chapter 39: Fighting For All That's Good

Finn practically dragged Willa through the halls of Maleficent's dungeon. He knew his plan was going to work. The excitement was bubbling up inside of him—and he couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

They got to the door, but before he opened it and Willa stepped in front of him.

"Finn, how did you break the curse?"

"What?"

"How did you get me out of that chair?"

_Is she being serious right now?_

"What are you talking about Willa? That makes no sense."

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Finn, just answer the question."

"I cut the ropes. How else was I supposed to get you out of the chair? And what's this about a curse?"

Willa studied him, but before she could answer any of his questions, Jess and Philby came up to them.

"Isabel," Philby's voice laced with pain, but he still had a wide grin plastered on his face. He stumbled over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight as she buried her head in his shoulder. Finn noticed how red his wrists were and assumed it was the result of him being chained to the wall.

"I'm so glad to see that you're alive." Philby held Willa at arm's length. "I thought Maleficent was going to use you to do something horrible."

"Me too. She made me sit in this chair and then left. But Finn somehow broke the curse and got me out of it."

"It couldn't have been that easy, surely." Philby turned to Finn for answers that Finn didn't have.

"What curse?"

"Long story," the couple said in unison.

Finn rolled his eyes and Jess opened the door and ushered the three of them inside.

Inside, Charlene and Amanda were helping a now conscious Captain Maybeck stand up. The captain and Finn locked eyes.

"Shark Fin, what the heck are you knocking me out for?"

Finn shrugged. "Part of the plan, sorry 'bout that."

"About that plan, Finn." Philby said as he limped over to the rest of the group—with Willa's help. "What is it?"

Finn waited for all seven of them to circle up. He met eyes with each of them. Charlene looked worried, but she also seemed happy that the captain was awake. She almost seemed hopeful-a quality Finn would have never associated with her in a situation like this. The captain looked at Finn as if he wanted to punch him in the face. Finn quickly moved his gaze to Jess and saw her knowing look. Two years ago, she had told him about her ability to dream the future. Knowing his sister-in-law, she had had a dream about his plan. Her look said it all.

Finn glanced over at Philby and Willa. He remembered the first time he had seen the two together, over three years ago. The only thing that had changed between the two of them was their age. They both still looked at each other with loving expressions. Finn knew Philby would do anything for his sister, and not only did he appreciate it, he respected and admired it. Right now he was heavily leaning on Willa, but she didn't seem to mind. He was glad that his long-lost, little sister had found true love. Finn couldn't help but smile at that thought.

Last, but certainly not least, Finn glanced at Amanda. She was smiling, but her eyes were telling a different story. He saw fear and confusion hiding in her beautiful blue eyes. She nodded at him, encouraging him to tell his friends the plan.

They were six people one would have never expected to be friends. But here they were, three years later. They had been through every thing imaginable: from battling dragons, ancient spirits and evil witches to swimming away from sea monsters, miscarriages to dying friends and family members, castle bombings and kidnappings.

And here they were. They had a chance to finish off Maleficent for good. It might kill them all. But it would be a sacrifice worth making.

They would be fighting for all that's good in this world. They would be fighting to the death to stop Maleficent and any magic she threw their way.

And though Finn didn't want to see any of his friends die, he wouldn't want any other people at his side at a time like this.

Finn took a deep breath. "Okay, here's the plan."

* * *

"My lady, may I ask what the plan is now that we've brought back the ancient spirit?" A soldier asked Maleficent from behind.

She turned to see her loyal servant Greg Luowski standing there at attention.

"We must wait until they head into the castle, then I shall deal with them. You will keep the rest of the kingdom occupied."

"What about the spirit, my lady? What is _he_ going to be doing during all of this?"

"He'll be helping me, of course. I need him in order to put myself back on the throne permanently. Now, I need you to go rally the troops and begin the razing of Anaheim."

"Yes, your majesty," Greg bowed before scurrying off to finish her orders.

Maleficent turned back and looked out at the scene before her.

Currently she was standing at the top of the bell tower in Anaheim's monastery. She had to make sure her foes made it back to the castle unharmed. That was the only way her reign would be locked in forever.

Below her she noticed seven people making their way through the streets. She immediately recognized them as her archenemies. Maleficent couldn't help but smile at all of the torture she had planned for them.

Princess Isabel's curse was by far her favorite. The silly girl honestly believed that Maleficent was going to use her to do something horrible. _Well, I guess I am, in an indirect way._ In order to destroy the one thing Maleficent hated most—true love—she had dedicated her life to finding something such as this. When the "curse" was broken by true love's kiss, the one who breaks the spell dies.

Maleficent had to suppress a wily grin when she pictured that dreaded royal soldier dying in Princess Isabel's arms.

True love may be pesky and annoying, but it is not unbeatable. Maleficent's magic was about to prove that.

She noticed which direction her enemies were headed: the castle. _Time for the show to start._

Maleficent turned around and selected the potion she needed. _This one will do just fine._ When the time came, she needed to consume the potion, making her invincible. And if the ancient spirit was present when she did this, immortality would be hers.

She headed down the bell tower and walked through the streets of Anaheim. She had business to attend to. Shortly her seven enemies would be dead, leaving the throne hers _forever._

* * *

**Sorry about the shortness...the next one will be longer! In the ****next chapter we'll see the big showdown between Finn (& friends) and Maleficent.**

**Any predictions for what's going to happen? Either write them in a review or message me! I want to know what y'all think is going to happen! Or write whatever you want in the review and/or message. I don't care! **


	40. Remembered As Heroes?

**Alright guys, here's the first part of the three (possibly four) chapter finale! You wonderful people only deserve the most epic ending I can bring! **

**Here's part one...chapter 40 :) Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 40: Remembered As Heroes?

Finn ushered all of his friends into the throne room and slammed the door shut. With Philby and the captain's help, they moved all of the chairs in front of the door. Once finished, Finn saw Amanda holding back tears.

The chairs were in the throne room for the reception that was supposed to occur two days ago. Amanda and Finn were going to show off their newborn son to everyone in the kingdom. Now, neither of them were sure if they would ever see their son again. Would he remember them as heroes or hate them for leaving him at such a young age?

Finn shook the thoughts out of his head. He would make sure Amanda lived to see him again, even if it killed him.

Philby, who was gaining his strength by the minute, walked over to Willa.

"It's time we break this curse."

"And how do you suppose we do that Phildweeb?" The captain spat off. On the way over to the castle, Philby and Willa explained what the curse was and how Willa acquired it. No one had a clue on how Maleficent could create something like this or, more importantly, how to break it.

The captain's comment silenced the group. Finn could hear the sounds of Maleficent's army razing the city outside.

"I know!" Charlene's high-pitched voice rang out. She jumped up and down with joy. "True love's kiss! It worked last time on Terry and Philby! Why can't it work this time?"

Willa looked as if Charlene had slapped her across the face, but Finn knew that was because Willa hadn't thought of that.

Philby glanced from Charlene to Willa and back again. He seemed to be considering what Charlene was saying.

"Well?" Jess placed her hands on her hips. "Kiss her already Philby! We don't have all the time in the world!"

Finn saw Philby hesitate before turning to Willa. Something about this situation didn't seem right. Philby placed a hand on the back of Willa's neck and pulled her in close and kissed her.

The kiss lasted longer than Finn had expected. When they separated, someone behind him started clapping slowly.

"Congratulations my dear Isabel, you've accomplished _exactly_ what I needed from you."

All seven of them turned to see Maleficent standing right in front of the throne.

"What are you talking about?" Philby yelled out as he stepped in front of Willa, shielding her from him.

"This so called 'curse' was just a trick."

"Old lady's got tricks? Awesome," the captain murmured as he unleashed his sword.

"What did you do make her do?" Philby yelled as he pointed his sword in her direction. Finn followed suit, ushering Charlene, Jess and Amanda over to the side, near a table that had one small glass flask on it. Inside was a gold liquid that seemed to be glowing.

"Kill you of course," Maleficent's tone of voice screamed evil.

"What?" Willa's trembling voice called out from behind Philby.

Before Maleficent could answer, Philby doubled over in pain and sank to the floor.

"DELL!" Willa kneeled beside him, trying to get him to stay awake.

"You evil witch!" Finn charged Maleficent.

She pulled out a dagger and threw it at him, barely nicking his shoulder. Amanda's screams could be heard a mile away. He stumbled back a few steps before continuing forward as if nothing had happened.

The sound of glass breaking made both of them stop in their tracks.

Finn turned around to see Charlene leaning against the wall and a broken flask on the ground. Its gold liquid falling onto Philby's sword. She must have ran into the table and knocked the flask over.

"NO! YOU INSOLENT FOOLS!" Maleficent threw out her hands in rage and the room started shaking violently.

"The roof's caving in!" Finn yelled toward the captain and the three girls. Amanda turned and ran toward him.

Stone blocks from the ceiling started falling where Maleficent's table was. Where Charlene, Jess and the captain were standing.

"Charlene! GO!" The captain's yell could barely be heard as more stones fell.

"NO! NOT WITHOUT YOU!" A girl yelled. Finn wasn't quiet sure, but he figured it was Charlene.

Charlene was pushed hard in the direction of Willa and Philby with the captain's sword in hand as the rest of the ceiling caved in.

"NO!" Charlene's pained cries echoed throughout the room. She rushed over to the pile of stones and started trying her hardest to remove them.

It took everyone a few minutes to process what had just happened. Jess and the captain and just been crushed by the falling stones of the ceiling.

Two of his friends—dead, another was close.

"Well, that was much easier than I expected. Three have fallen so quickly. It's not looking good for the rest of you." Maleficent let out a maniacal laugh.

Finn turned around and walked up to her, holding his sword out in front of him. "You did this!"

"Of course I did! Who else dearie?"

Finn's rage was building up. He had never felt so angry in his life. Before his mind could tell him otherwise, he lunged toward her, aiming for her neck with his sword.

Maleficent threw up a hand and grabbed his sword with her hand before he could strike.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

She drew the sword closer to her and threw him as far as she could. The sword flew out of his hand, making a clanking noise as it hit the stone floor in front of him. Maleficent held out her hand and the sword flew across the room and into her hand.

"Now, if you don't mind, I've got some business to attend to."

She turned and walked over to the throne and pulled out the journal. Finn recognized it as the journal Willa had stolen back from them three years ago. _How did Maleficent get it back?_

* * *

"Finn!" Amanda cried out as she ran to Finn. He was still lying on the stone floor of the throne room. The pain from the fall was too much for him to handle at this point.

Amanda helped him to a sitting position. "Are you okay?"

Finn nodded. He looked her in the eyes and saw the tears she was holding back. The fear in her eyes made Finn felt like a failure. He couldn't make her feel safe.

Finn glanced over at Charlene as she continued to struggled to remove the stones off of the captain and Jess.

"Charlene…"

"Help me! Someone! Please!"

"Charlene, sweetie…" Amanda walked over to Charlene and tried to get her to stop. She wrapped her arms around Charlene and hugged her.

"Let go of me Amanda! We've got to get them back!" Charlene's tears were staining Amanda's dress.

"Charlene…they're gone."

There were a few minutes of quiet, the only sound Charlene's sobbing. "I know, it's just hard to believe."

"I know."

* * *

Finn struggled to stand up and walked over to Amanda and Charlene. Amanda finished her hug and Charlene fell into Finn's arms without warning.

"I love him, Finn. I really do."

"I know, Charlene. He loved you more than anything."

"He was going to ask me to marry him."

Finn's eyes went wide. He didn't know anything about that. _That only makes his death _that_ much harder for her to accept._

"Another story of true love, destroyed. Isn't that just wonderful!" Maleficent's voice echoed through the throne room.

Finn let go of Charlene and turned to face her.

"Leave us alone, or so help me, I _will_ kill you!"

"Oh they'll be a time for fighting, Finn. But now it's time for this."

She motioned behind her, where there was a familiar sight looming over her.

The ancient spirit, Chernabog, was rising out of the journal—just as he did three years ago at the ancient temple. The news of the spirit was so shocking, even Willa stood up from her position of kneeling over Philby's dying body.

"Lord Chernabog, I believe it's only fair to exact your revenge on those unfortunate souls from three years ago."

_Exacting his revenge? _Finn was thoroughly confused. "What are you talking about? We did nothing to his spirit!"

"Oh, so you don't know? Your dear sister didn't tell you?"

Finn glanced back at Willa. Her face lacked emotion and was drained of color. _She knows exactly what Maleficent's talking about._

"Everyone who is present at the awakening of the spirit is fated to die in its presence."

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked. Finn could feel her body trembling behind him.

"It means, the seven of you who went to the temple that day will die in its presence. One died three years ago, two were just crushed by the falling stones, poor Dell is on the brink of death," Maleficent's grin widened. "And three more of you will die today—hopefully four."

_One of us can live? _Finn asked himself. _Who wasn't there that day?_

And then it hit him. _Amanda was sick that day._

Finn glanced back at Amanda for a brief second. The fear in her eyes was becoming more and more obvious. He wanted more than anything to be able to tell her that everything was going to be okay. But he wasn't going to lie to her. She deserved more than that.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Charlene running across the room with the captain's sword in her hand. She ran past Maleficent and toward the ancient spirit.

_She's going to try and stop it. _Finn started to head her way so that he could stop her, but Amanda grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

As it did three years ago, the ancient spirit began taking on a flesh form. It took a step forward, off of the journal and toward Charlene.

Charlene ran in between its legs, and ran in the direction of the journal. She turned around, facing the spirit's back and stabbed it in the back.

The spirit, though, was not one hundred percent flesh and bones. The sword was absorbed by the spirit's remaining ghostly form. Chernabog turned around and Charlene's eyes went wide. She was only there for a brief second before the spirit reached down and picked her up, throwing her across the room. She hit the stone wall behind the throne with a sickening _THUD!_ She fell to the floor and did not move.

Maleficent turned to face Finn, Amanda and Willa. "And then there were three."

* * *

**Oh dang! It's so hard to write character deaths...it just is. **

**Please review, I love reading your reviews and I'd love to see what y'all are thinking of the finale so far! **

**_Trust_ me when I say it only gets better from here.**

**Anyway, ****I'll have the next part of the finale up as soon as I can! Have a great week! :)**


	41. I Think I Just Saw Heaven

**Your reviews for the last chapter _MADE _my day! Y'all's reactions are _hilarious_-especially since I know how the story's going to end. I love how everyone was concerned with certain characters and not others. I see how you picked favorites! Don't lie! I see how it is! :P**

**Alright, I won't hold you any longer. Here's chapter 41...aka part two of the wonderful finale to this magnificent story! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 41: I Think I Just Saw Heaven

"Isabel," Philby's weak voice called out from behind them. Within a heart beat, Willa was over by his side, holding his hand, preparing himself for his last few seconds.

"Dell, please don't leave me." Willa whispered.

"Maleficent…got what…she wanted, my…death."

A loud _THUD!_ rang through the room, followed by Amanda screaming: "FINN!" Maleficent's wicked laugh echoed throughout the room. But Willa didn't pay attention to any of that. Philby was her focus right now.

"No, no, no, no, no. I'm not letting you die because of me."

"If I have to die," Philby winced in pain, "to break the curse…to…s-s-save you…it was worth it." He looked up at her and gave her a weak smile.

"No, it's not worth it. I would have gladly kept the curse if it means you would live."

"Don't…don't say that." He reached up and placed his hand on her cheek, wiping off the tears with his thumb. "I will always love you Isabel."

"I love you too, Dell."

Willa leaned down and kissed him. Deep down, she knew this would be their last. She just didn't want to admit it.

"WILLA! I NEED YOU NOW!"

Willa took one last look at Philby and saw that he had closed his eyes. He was gone.

She let a few tears fall down her cheek before heading over to Amanda. She had to stay strong for Amanda and Finn. The time for crying would be later.

* * *

As soon as Willa left to be with Philby, Maleficent walked up close to the remaining couple: Finn and Amanda.

"Now, my dear, dear Amanda. You're the only one not fated to die in the spirit's presence. Lady Luck is on your side, indeed."

"You stay away from her!" Finn shouted. Maleficent gave one look in his direction, rolled her eyes and waved her hand, causing Finn to fly across the room and roll across the stone floor.

"FINN!" Amanda screamed. Maleficent's wicked laugh echoed throughout the room.

"You can't stop me, my dear. You might as well just give up now."

"Never," Amanda stated as Maleficent pulled a sword out of thin air.

"Someone obviously doesn't understand what I just said. Let me show you what I mean."

Maleficent barely gave Amanda two seconds to think before thrusting the sword in her direction.

Amanda's world slowed down. Maleficent's sword was moving in slow motion—but so were Amanda's reflexes. A large blur moved in front of her and right when the sword hit it, time sped up.

It took a few seconds for the two of them to process what had happened. Amanda looked down at the ground in between them and saw Finn lying there with Maleficent's sword sticking out of his stomach.

"Finn," Amanda fell to the floor and put his head in her hands. "Please, sweetheart, look at me."

Finn's eyes were having trouble focusing in on her—or anything, now that she thought about it.

"Finn…Finn, sweetie, look at me. Don't close your eyes."

"Amanda…" His eyes finally focused in on her.

"Sshh, don't speak."

"But…but…the baby…"

"Don't worry about anything right now, Finn. I'm going to try and take the sword out, okay?"

Amanda reached down and put her hands on the sword's handle. Finn reached up and grabbed one of her hands, stopping her.

"No, Amanda…"

"Finn. Let me, please."

Amanda turned to face Willa, who was leaning over the dying—now probably dead—Philby.

"WILLA! I NEED YOU NOW!"

Willa scurried over to her with Philby's glowing sword in hand, wiping tears off of her cheek. "What?" Willa took one look at Finn and burst into tears again. "No, not him too."

"Willa…" Finn's voice cried out. She leaned down beside him and took his free hand. "Take…take care of her, okay?"

"Don't you worry about us, Finn. We need to get this sword out of your stomach, though, okay?"

Finn hesitated before nodding his head. Willa took off her jacket.

"Amanda, I need you to take out of the sword slowly. When it's all the way out, I'm going to apply some pressure with my jacket."

Amanda nodded and stood up, getting into a position so that she could pull out the sword.

"Now Finn, when I wrap this jacket around you, I'm going to need you to hold on to the jacket as tight as you can."

Finn slowly nodded, the color was draining from his face.

"Okay, Amanda, now."

Amanda slowly started pulling the sword out and Finn's cries of pain were killing her. _This has to be done, Amanda. You have to save his life._

Once the sword was out, Willa wrapped his wound with her jacket. Finn weakly put his hands on top of her jacket and pushed with all of the energy he had left.

"I've got it, Willa," Finn said weakly. "Finish her off." He turned to Amanda. "You too."

"Finish _me_ off?" Maleficent's dry, raspy voice called out from the throne where she was sitting. The sound her fingers made while tapping the armrest echoed across the room. It reminded Amanda of chickens pecking at their food. "Well isn't that endearing."

* * *

Finn watched as Maleficent stood up from his throne and walked toward Amanda and Willa. Willa picked up Philby's glowing sword and stood in front of Amanda and Finn.

"Amanda doesn't have the same curse as us! Fight me! I'm the one you want anyway."

"A willing sacrifice? You fools never learn your lessons." Maleficent smirked before reaching out to grab Willa. Luckily, Finn saw that Willa was faster.

Finn knew he was close to dying because his vision became blurred at the edges. The glowing sword that Willa was yielding was moving so fast that Finn could barely see it.

Finn wasn't sure how long Willa had fought Maleficent, because everything was moving in slow motion. But when he heard a blood-curdling scream and saw Willa fall to the ground in slow motion, he knew she had lost. Finn felt a few tears fall down his cheek, but didn't have the strength to wipe them away.

Amanda, obviously in a rage, extended her arms and closed her eyes. He knew she was about to push Maleficent into the next kingdom—or as close as humanly possible.

But even Finn's fading hearing, the sound of the throne room door being busted down was tremendous and eardrum-busting.

Finn attempted to sit up and turn around to see what was going on, but the pain forced him back down. He laid back down on the ground for a few seconds to catch his breath.

He heard arrows flying and feet stomping across the stone floor, but Finn didn't dare more to see any of it.

He closed his eyes for a brief second, only to be shook awake by Amanda.

"Finn, please," Amanda pleaded as tears streamed down her face. "Stay awake, please…for me."

Finn reached up and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently-for that was all his strength would allow him to do.

"Is Willa—"

"Dead?" Amanda took in a deep breath, probably to avoid more tears. "Yes. They all are Finn. It's just you and me."

"You've…you've got to go, Amanda. You're not…supposed to die here." Finn's vision was starting to blur tremendously. He could feel himself being pulled into another dimension. His time in this world was almost up.

* * *

For a second Finn closed his eyes, opening them to a new scene. There was a large gray castle looming in the distance. The moon reflected off of it, giving the cobblestone street in front of him an eerie look. There were weird lights at the tops of poles, illuminating the street. There were buildings lining each side of the street, each painted brightly.

Everything about the scene was foreign and odd, but at the same time Finn felt at home. _Maybe this is what heaven looks like._

"There he is!" He heard the shuffling of feet coming towards him.

"Finn! You've got to wake up!" A female voice said. Finn focused his attention in the direction of the voice and saw his sister Willa kneeling by him. This time she wasn't wearing her typical dress. She was wearing a pair of dry-fit shorts and a hoodie. _How do I know what those things are?_ Finn asked himself. He noticed two rings on her left hand: one silver with a small diamond and the other a simple gold band. Based on the look on her face, she hadn't slept well in weeks.

She was shivering, but still had a smile plastered on her face. An arm appeared over her shoulder. Finn turned to see who it belonged to and found Philby. He was wearing a maroon shirt that read "FSU" in gold letters and black shorts. He saw Finn and smiled. Despite the smile, Finn could tell he was having trouble sleeping too.

_What's going on?_

"We're going to cross you back over, Finn." Philby said in his British accent. "You've got to use the jolt from that to wake yourself up. Do you understand? We did the same thing to Maybeck back on the cruise in 9th grade. Remember?"

Philby and Willa stared down at him, as if he knew exactly what they were talking about. _Crossing over? What?_

"FINN! Wake up! Please…" Amanda's voice started as whisper, but was getting louder the more she talked.

Finn heard Amanda's voice, but did not see her. Finn put his hand on his head, for now it felt like it weighed a million pounds.

"Finn? Can you hear us?" Willa asked, but this time her voice was muffled.

"I'm going to cross you over, Finn. Please wake up." Philby said in a muffled voice before pulling out a small black contraption and pressing the button on it.

* * *

Finn opened his eyes to see Amanda still over him.

"FINN! Wake up! Please…" Amanda said in between sobs while shaking him.

"Amanda…I think I just saw heaven…"

"What?" Her expression turned sour.

"I saw Willa and Philby." He wanted more than anything to close his eyes and join them in heaven. But he didn't want to leave Amanda alone—but that seemed like her best option now. She had to survive, for Dillard's sake.

"Just l-l-leave me…" Finn started having a coughing fit. "Get out of h-h-h-here while y-y-y-you can."

"No Finn, I'm not leaving here without you!"

"B-b-but you'll die." Finn coughed up blood. "I can't p-p-protect you if you're dead."

"Let me protect you, Finn. Please, just this once."

"B-b-b-but—"

Amanda leaned down without warning and kissed Finn passionately.

She moved back a few inches and whispered, "You took that sword for me. Let me get you to safety."

"I…I…l-l-l-love you Amanda," Finn managed to spit out.

Amanda had a sad look in her eyes. She knew this was the end for him. For them. She was taking in her last few moments with him. Finn wished more than anything to be able to go back to the beginning and never take back his throne. He wished he could go back to the first day they met and ride off into the woods with her. They would have been perfectly fine in his little hideout all by themselves.

But more importantly, they would be out of the reach of the evil witch Maleficent.

"I love you too Finn."

Without warning, Amanda was pulled up by a random soldier and stabbed in the stomach from behind. He let go of her and she fell to the ground at Finn's feet, dead.

Finn tried to scream, but found his voice was gone.

The soldier laughed and turned to look for more things to destroy and people to kill. The fact that he was enjoying this sickened Finn.

His vision was almost gone. His hearing was failing. He had lost all of his friends and family. He was going to die in his own throne room.

In the midst of all of the chaos in the room, Maleficent had found her way over to Finn. She grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him close. Finn let out a strangled cry of pain.

Her face was inches away from his.

"This is what happens to those who cross me, _Lawrence Finnegan Whitman_. You should have never _ever _become a 'keeper.' Let this serve as a lesson to you. I _will_ be coming back to exact my revenge on you and your friends. And next time, _you'll_ be the first to die.

She dropped him, but before he hit the floor, Finn closed his eyes and the world went black.

* * *

**Hmm..how will the story end? I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can! Please review or message me y'all's comments/concerns/critiques. I love reading them! Have a great week! :)**


	42. I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

**Here's the last chapter...for real this time. 42 chapters later and here we are! The last chapter of "Fighting For All That's Good." It's bittersweet, because I love this story _way_ too much. All good things must come to an end, right?**

**I won't leave you hanging any longer. Enjoy the last chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 42: I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

July 16, 2012: Orlando, Florida

Finn jolted awake, breathing heavily. The beeping noise coming from his left sped up, the high-pitched sound being played more frequently. Finn noticed as he calmed down the sound played less frequently, settling into a rhythm.

Finn looked to his left and saw that he was hooked up to heart monitor.

Upon looking around the rest of the room, Finn immediately realized where he was: a hospital room. The rest of the medical equipment blended into the starch white walls. On his right, Finn noticed a woman fast asleep in a chair that had been pulled up close to his bed. In her lap was an open copy of an old book. Finn recognized it as the book he used to have read to him when he was little.

Finn also recognized that woman was his mother.

"Mom?" Finn's voice was quiet, for he didn't want to scare her. When she didn't wake up, Finn reached over and touched her hand. "Mom?"

His mother opened her eyes. "I'm up, Finn. I'm up." She closed the book and froze. Her gaze turned immediately to Finn. "OH MY GOSH! FINN, YOU'RE AWAKE!"

She immediately pulled him into a hug and Finn didn't think things could get any more confusing.

"Oh, sweetheart I'm so glad you're awake. You've had us so worried!"

When she finally let him go, she noticed his confused look.

"You don't know what's going on, do you?"

"Nope. Why am I in a hospital?"

"You were in a _horrible_ car accident almost two months ago and you've been in a coma ever since."

Finn's eyes went wide. "I've been asleep for _two months?_"

"Yes, Finn." She placed the book on the table next to his bed and scooted her chair closer. "Now, I need to know what the last thing you remember is."

Finn closed his eyes, trying to remember.

_"And I'll see you tomorrow," Finn said with a wink before giving Amanda one last goodbye hug. _

_"I love you, Finn."_

_He kissed her on the top of her head before letting go. "I love you too."_

_He started walking down the street, where his car was parked. Once he got there, he turned back and saw Amanda standing there with the biggest smile on her face. Finn smiled back. _

_He had finally gotten the courage to propose and she had say yes. __He had never been happier in his life. _

_ He got in his car and drove off._

"I was with Amanda…"

"Yes. You had gone on a date with her that night."

"I just remember driving home after that, but I can't remember making it back."

"That's because you didn't."

Finn took a deep breath. _Obviously_, he wanted to say. He decided to hold his tongue though, since his mother looked as if she hadn't slept well in a _long_ time—probably not in two months, if Finn had to bet on it.

Finn couldn't help but shake that dream that he had had while he was in a coma. It had felt _so_ real to him. He had felt the pain of getting stabbed by Maleficent. He had cried as all of his friends died in front of him. He had laid there and watched as Maleficent took over.

But it was all a dream?

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I had the weirdest dream while I was out."

"What was it about?"

Finn glanced at his mother and knew instantly that she truly wanted to know what he was dreaming about for two months. He took in a deep breath and let out a quick summary of his dream as fast as he could.

"I…I was the prince of California and Maleficent was trying to take over my kingdom. And…Willa was my sister, but I didn't know that yet, and she married Philby, who was a soldier...but that was later. And Charlene was the queen of Florida, and we _almost _got married, but then Amanda got pregnant, so we decided to call that off. But then Captain Maybeck let us sail on his ship and he fell in love with Charlene, but he also had this thing for Jess. And Dillard was there too…but he died…just like last time.

"And we all fought dragons and giant sharks and Maleficent's soldiers. And then Amanda had the baby and we named him Dillard…but Maleficent wasn't through with us—of course-so she kidnapped everyone except for me and Amanda. But, I had a plan to get rid of her so we all got out of her dungeon just in time for her to show back up at the castle and kill everyone."

Finn took a deep breath and sighed dramatically. "But right before me and Amanda—"

"Amanda and I."

Finn would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't so utterly confused by his dream. "_Amanda and_ _I_ died...I crossed over into Magic Kingdom and saw Willa and Philby there. But I didn't know I was crossing over. They kept telling me that I needed to wake up. But just as soon as I was there, I was back into that dream and then I saw Amanda die…and then I died right after Maleficent threatened to come back and get her revenge on the keepers."

There was a few minutes of silence while his mother processed his dream. Finn figured she thought he was crazy. Especially when she started giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"Your dream sounds a lot like the story I used to read to you when you were little." She motioned for the book now on the beside table.

Finn's confused look must have been obvious, for his mother laughed some more before continuing.

"When you were little, you used to _love_ the story about the Prince Finnegan of Ithaca. He had a long-lost sister, named Isabella, who grew up as a peasant, but they were still friends. When the evil witch takes over the kingdom, Prince Finnegan escapes only to live in the woods for four years, where he befriends a young man named Jonathon and a falls in love with the lovely Annabelle.

"After being in the witch's dungeon for four years, Isabella is set free by one of the witch's royal advisors—the lady Jezebel—and told to find Prince Finnegan. Isabella wanders into a random village and runs into the handsome former soldier, Derek, and falls in love with him instantly. Together they find Prince Finnegan, Jonathon and Annabelle and convince him to take back the throne.

"Derek comes up with the idea of going to petition to another kingdom for help, so the five of them head off to the island kingdom of Tegucigalpa. On the way there, Derek and Finnegan meet Captain Wesley, who wants revenge on the witch and joins the quest. Once in Tegucigalpa, Finnegan unwillingly agrees to a marriage alliance with the local queen, Charlotte.

"Now I never read you this part when you were a child, but…at the ball celebrating their engagement, Finnegan and Annabelle decide to say goodbye and end up…you know…having some…adult fun."

The way his mother said that made Finn laugh.

"So _anyway_, word comes that the evil witch has sent out spies to Tegucigalpa in order to find and kill Finnegan. The seven of them go after the soldiers and encounter dragons and sea monsters along the way. When Jezebel catches up to them, Finnegan finds out that Jezebel and Annabelle are sisters and that Jezebel and the Captain Wesley used to be in love—which upsets Charlotte.

"Jezebel tells them of an ancient temple in which the witch is going to try and channel an ancient spirit. They all decide to head there and try to stop her. When they get there, though, Annabelle is found to be pregnant and is forced to stay with the ship while the rest go.

"But what they don't know, is that when the ancient spirit is awakened, all who are present are fated to die in its presence. Jonathon died there, at the temple, but the rest made it out alive. And Finnegan believed that he had already killed the evil witch.

"So fast forward a few years and Annabelle finally has a child after a few miscarriages, and they name him Jonathon. The only problem is that the evil witch returns and kidnaps Isabella, Derek, Captain Wesley, Charlotte and Jezebel—all within twenty-four hours of the baby being born.

"Finnegan and Annabelle get the baby to safety, save their friends, but when they get back to the castle, the evil witch is already there. She needs one of them to die so that she can complete her spell and live forever. So when Finnegan willingly gives himself up for that, knowing that the alternative is all of his friends and family dying in front of him, all chaos breaks out."

"So what happens then?" Finn felt like he was five again. He wanted to know the ending of the story, even though he had a strong feeling he knew what it was.

"The evil witch brings back the ancient spirit, so all of his friends end up dying saving the kingdom, including himself, except for Annabelle—since she is the only one who did not receive the curse at the temple. She makes it out alive but does not fight for the kingdom. She gets her son back and runs to another kingdom and lives there the rest of her life. Her son turns 21 and exacts his revenge on the evil witch—defeating her forever-and becomes the rightful king of Ithaca."

"So _that's_ how the dream was supposed to end!"

"How did your dream end?"

"Amanda died…we all did."

"Hmm…interesting."

"How do you remember all of that book anyway? The last time you probably read that to me was before kindergarden!"

"Why do you think I have it with me, Finn?"

"I don't know!"

His mother rolled his eyes. "_Because_, I was reading it while you were asleep. The doctors said it might help wake you up faster. Turns out, it had some kind of influence on your dream."

"But how come my dream was different than the book?"

His mother thought some more before giving him an answer.

"Since you've had real life experience with an _actual_ evil witch, I think you substituted your life and friends and experiences into Prince Finnegan's story."

"I don't get it."

"It's simple, Finn." Her smile was warm and inviting. _What would I ever do without her?_ "When you were little all you wanted to do was be the big hero like Prince Finnegan. You wanted to save the day and win the girl and get all of the riches and treasures the world had to offer. And in a way, you've actually done that."

"I…still don't get how this applies to my dream."

"You're the leader of the keepers, Finn. You led them to defeating the Overtakers five years ago. You saved the day and got the girl simultaneously. And now all of the world is yours to take, Finn. You _deserve_ it. You're the real life version of Prince Finnegan."

Finn let that sink in. He was a real life hero. That's something little kids dream of-but for him it became a reality. _Wow._

"Now, I'm going to go let a nurse come check on you so I can tell everyone you're awake. Alright?"

Finn nodded and his mother reached down and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, Finn. I'm glad you finally woke up."

"I love you too, Mom."

Finn let the news sink in as his mother called for a nurse to check up on him. She stepped outside and called his father and friends, telling him that he was awake.

* * *

Finn wasn't sure how long it had been since the nurse had left before Maybeck had snuck into his room—but he was pretty sure it was something along the lines of twenty milliseconds.

"Whitman! It's about time you wake up! Now I know that I can sleep a _long_ time, but I think you broke my record!"

Maybeck made himself at home by plopping down at the end of the bed. He was wearing his dress uniform and had his left arm in a sling.

"Dude, you're not supposed to come home for another few weeks! Why are you here?"

He shrugged. "Broke my arm on a mission overseas."

"I see that. Charlene's going to kill you when she finds out you're here."

"Dude, she can't know I'm here!"

"Why not?"

"I've got some things to do before London! You're still going, right?"

"I assume so. Yeah."

"Good!" Maybeck reached over and slapped him on the shoulder. "I'll need you to keep your phone with you."

"How come?"

"I've got a big surprise that I'm saving for London." He winked before standing up. "Now I've got to get out of here before Charlene sees me. Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure thing, man. This better be one heck of a surprise."

Maybeck's smile widened. Finn could tell he was proud of whatever surprise he had in store for Charlene. "I'm going to have the best dang proposal the world's ever seen."

He tipped his hat and walked to the door. "See you in London, Whitman. Don't do anything stupid like get into a crazy car accidents before London. You think you can manage that?"

"I think I can manage," Finn joked.

* * *

It was only about five more minutes before Jess and Charlene came in together.

"Finn!" Charlene ran over and basically tackled him in a hug. "Don't you ever give me a heart attack like that again!"

Just for fun, when Charlene let go of Finn, he held out his arms for a hug from Jess. As expected, she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Not a chance Finn. You've ruined my whole summer."

"Oh come on, Jess," he gave her a loving smile. "You know you missed me."

"In your dreams." She rolled her eyes again. "Not after what you've done to Amanda. Yeah right."

"Because I chose to be in a coma for two months," Finn stated sarcastically. "Come on, Jess. One hug? I won't tell Amanda that you actually have a nice side."

Jess snorted. "Of course I have a nice side. It just doesn't come out when my sister's boyfriend gets himself into a car accident and ends up in a coma for two months and ruins my _entire_ summer. All I've got left now is to look forward to London!" Jess threw up her hands in frustration.

Charlene perked up at the mention of London, interrupting their fight.

"Finn, you are still going to see me in London right?"

"You're going to be in the Olympics, for crying out loud, Charlene! Of course I'm going to be there!"

"Good!" Charlene's phone beeped and she glanced at it. "Oh great."

"What?" Both Jess and Finn said in unison.

"Practice got moved up from noon to eleven." Her expression turned sour. "Sorry, Finn, I've got to go if I'm going to be there on time."

"That's okay. I think training for the Olympics is an _okay_ excuse for not staying here in the hospital with your poor, little, injured best friend Finn."

This time it was Charlene who rolled her eyes. "Shut it Finn. If I'm going to win a gold medal in London, I've got to practice. If I don't see you before I leave, I'm glad you're awake. We've missed you."

She held up her hand and Finn gave her a high-five before she walked out of the room, leaving Finn alone with Jess.

Finn raised an eyebrow at Jess. "I ruined your _entire_ summer?"

"Yes!" Jess sat at the edge of his bed—right where Maybeck had been sitting not too long ago. "I was planning on studying abroad in Paris remember?"

"Yeah, for something lame, like art right?" Finn joked.

"Ha. Ha. You're hilarious Finn." Jess rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Yes for art. But the day before I left, you decided that getting into a coma would be fun, so I had to take care of Amanda all summer."

"What do you mean take care of her? She always takes care of you!"

"When she wasn't sulking around here in this horrible place where souls go to die, she was at home. Not sleeping. Not talking to anyone. Just sitting there."

"Where is she now?"

"I forced her to get a job so that she could get her mind off of _you_ for two seconds."

Finn let that sink in. The last thing he wanted was Amanda to be worried.

"Where is she working?"

"Wayne got her a job in Magic Kingdom working in one of the shops. She gets a lunch break at noon, so I'm sure she'll come over here like she _always_ does."

"You act like that's a bad thing."

"Finn," she scooted closer to him. "I'm going to be frank with you. I never told Amanda this, because I knew it was going to break her heart, but the doctors told your mom that things weren't looking good for you. They thought that if you weren't awake by the end of July that you'd probably die."

Jess took a deep breath and stared at her hands. "Well, obviously they're wrong, but I didn't know that back then. I decided that for Amanda's sake that if she could start moving on with her life and get out into the world and _do_ something that maybe if you died, things wouldn't _as_ hard on her. She would have a little something to lean back on, you know?

"This is going to sound harsh, but I just didn't want her whole world to stop because you were in a coma. She…she deserves more than that."

Finn saw a few tears fall down her face.

"Thanks, Jess. I'm glad you did that."

Jess glanced up at Finn with a confused look. "Did you just _thank _me?"

"Duh," Finn rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you did that."

"Why would you say that? I thought you'd be mad."

"No, you did what you thought was best for her." Finn started looking at the blanket covering his legs. "I wouldn't want her to drop everything to be here with me. I'm flattered that she did that, but she's way too important and special to give up her summer for me. You were right to do that."

There was a few minutes of silence. Jess pulled out her phone and stood up, facing Finn with a smile on her face.

"I'm going to call Wayne so he can get Amanda off of her shift early so that she can come down here."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm not stupid, Finn." She rolled her eyes, again. "I know you two are meant to be together. Someday you're going to stop being an idiot and propose, and when you do, she's going to say yes. And when that happens, I'm going to be the best maid of honor ever and you're going to be my brother."

"And?"

"_And_…" she looked as if what she wanted to say next was going to hurt her. "If Amanda's going to marry anybody…I'm glad it's you."

_So Amanda hasn't told Jess about the proposal yet? I wonder why._

Nevertheless, Finn smiled. It felt good knowing that he had already proposed before getting into a coma, but it felt better to know that he knew something Jess didn't. "Thanks Jess. I knew you had a nice side."

"But Amanda's _way_ out of your league, just so we get that straight."

"I know. That's what makes getting her to love me back all the better."

Jess rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go call Wayne."

* * *

Finn finally thought he was going to get some peace and quiet when Jess had left. But sure enough, Willa and Philby came in, both with huge smiles plastered on their faces.

"It worked! Oh my gosh, it worked!" Willa shrieked. She ran over and gave Finn a tight hug. "We didn't think you had heard anything we said when you crossed over!"

"Of course it worked. I'm just frustrated that we didn't come up with it sooner." Philby said as he clapped his hand on Finn's shoulder.

"Babe, stop being hard on yourself." Willa chided him as she let go of Finn.

"We should have thought of it earlier! We did the same thing with Maybeck eight years ago."

"I know, but that doesn't matter now. It worked and he's awake. So be happy."

Finn noticed that both of them were wearing the same clothes as they were the night before when he crossed over.

"Did you two not change before coming here?"

Willa and Philby both looked over each other's clothes. Willa blushed.

Philby shrugged. "I guess not."

"So I'm guessing married life's been good to you two?" Finn winked, causing Willa laugh.

"You owe us half of a honeymoon." Philby said as he draped an arm over Willa's shoulders.

"I do?"

"We were going to Rome for two weeks, remember? But half way through, you went into a coma and we had to come back." Philby didn't look too excited about coming back.

"It's not my fault you waited a year for your honeymoon!" Finn crossed his arms.

Willa, on the other hand, was enjoying this argument.

"We only did that because I had to pay for medical school! We couldn't afford one until now!"

"You couldn't afford that honeymoon because it's so dang expensive!"

"Only the best for my girl." Philby smirked, causing Willa to laugh some more.

"You two fight like an old married couple!" Willa said in between laughs. "Is there something you both want to tell me?"

"NO!" Philby and Finn yelled at the same time.

Willa rolled her eyes and plopped herself down on the hospital bed next to Finn.

"But there's something I…I mean _we_…want to tell you, Finn."

"And what would that be?"

Willa and Philby exchanged a look. Finn couldn't read Philby's expression, but Willa's was ecstatic and overjoyed. Unlike all of the people who have visited him today—except Maybeck—she was excited about something.

"What's going on?" Finn asked Willa.

"I'm…" she turned back to face Finn, "pregnant." Her smile got wider.

Finn's eyes went wide. "When were you going to tell me this?"

Willa nudged his shoulder with hers. "I'm eleven weeks along, Finn. You've been out of it for most of the time!"

"That's true. Does everybody know but me?"

"Besides our parents…you're the first one."

"That's great you guys!" Finn pulled Willa into a big hug. "Oh, I'm going to spoil him and let him have real fun."

"_Real _fun?" Philby questioned.

"Yeah! Like how to make spitballs and skip school and all that _fun_ stuff." Finn smirked.

Willa laughed when Philby's expression turned sour. "What if it's a girl, Finn? We find out next week, you know."

Finn thought about it for a second. "Oh! I know! I'll buy her anything she wants."

"Spoil her? Yeah, Finn, that's just great. She's going to be a brat then." Philby muttered under his breath, just loud enough for both of them to hear.

"Hey, man. Uncle Finn's the _cool_ uncle. Together, Maybeck and I are going to have the best time with your kid. Whatever it is." He smirked and Willa laughed some more.

"Oh great. Exactly what we need. A kid that'll end up like you two."

Finn threw up his hands in defeat. "Sorry being the savior of Disney and the leader of the Kingdom Keepers isn't enough for you, Philbs. I'll do my best to improve my resume in the next six months."

"Don't listen to him, Finn. You'll be a great uncle…and babysitter too, right?"

"Sure, Willa, anything for my little sister."

Willa's phone rang. "Oh my gosh."

"Who is it?"

"Oh…uh…nothing. I've got to take this. I'll be right back." Willa excused herself from the room, leaving Philby and Finn alone.

"So you're going to be a dad, huh?"

"Yeah," Philby let a quick-lived smile show on his face. "But I'm more nervous than excited."

"Dude, don't worry. You're going to be a great dad. Heck, even if you're not, Willa's going to be the best mom ever, so she can make up for your slack. Look at the bright side."

This time, Philby did laugh.

"I'm glad you're back man. Hanging around with the girls all by myself gets _really_ old after two months."

"Wait six months and you'll be cooped up in your house with a baby. I think you'll be wishing you could hang out with the girls."

Philby laughed again, shaking his head. "I guess you're right."

Willa came back into the room, looking sad.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Philby asked her.

"Nothing," she looked up at him and smiled. "I just got a teaching job at the elementary school down the road. That's all."

"Seriously?" Finn asked and Willa nodded, almost jumping with joy.

"That's wonderful!" Philby said as he picked Willa up and twirled her around. "I told you that you'd get it."

"I guess now's the time for I told you so."

Finn laughed. "You two are straight out of a chick flick, I swear."

"Somebody jealous?" Philby raised an eyebrow. He leaned in for a kiss, which Willa gladly received.

Before Finn could defend himself, the door opened revealing Amanda.

Finn couldn't help but smile. She looked just as beautiful as the last time he saw her. This time, she was wearing her work uniform. Her eyes found his and she let out a big sigh of relief.

"You're…you're awake," was all she said before walking over to his bed.

"We're going to leave you two alone now," Willa said before ushering her husband out of the door.

Finn removed the blanket off of his legs and stood up.

"Finn, you shouldn't get up!"

"I've been asleep for two months, Amanda. I can't give my fiancé a hug?"

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. He kissed the top of her head when he heard her crying.

"It's okay, Amanda. I'm right here."

She pulled back just a little bit so that their foreheads were touching.

"You've just been gone for so long, Finn. I was beginning to think you'd never wake up."

"You think you could get rid of me so fast?" Finn shook his head "Not a chance! I'm not going anywhere before I get to see you walk down the aisle in that beautiful white dress."

"And dance at our wedding…"

"And go on our honeymoon…"

"And spend the rest of our lives together?"

"Yeah. _After_ that you can get rid of me." Finn joked and the two of them laughed together.

After she stopped laughing, Amanda leaned in and kissed him. It was as if the world had stopped spinning. He never _ever_ wanted this moment to end.

"So why didn't you tell anybody about me proposing?" He asked her out of pure curiosity.

"I wanted to wait until you woke up, so we could tell everyone together."

"Let's do it today!" Finn couldn't get the smile off of his face, even if he had wanted to. "I want everybody to know that you're mine _forever_."

Amanda laughed. "Let's see about getting you out of here first."

"Not quiet yet," Finn said before pulling her back in for another kiss.

When the kiss was over, Finn figured that the smile was going to be permanently on his face as long as she was around.

"I won't ever leave you again, Amanda, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that, just so you know."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

**And that, my friends, is the end of this story. I'm going to leave it at that. There's an author's note in the next chapter for those of you who are interested.**

**Thanks for all of you who have read! ****I can't express how awesome y'all have been-especially those who reviewed on every single chapter! I honestly think it's been more fun for me to write this story than anything. I hope y'all loved the story as much as I did! :)**


	43. Author's Note

Here's my author's note to all of you.

I haven't put a disclaimer on here, and just to be safe I want to say that I don't own any rights to anything. Not for the Kingdom Keepers, Princess Bride or any of the Disney movies I referenced/alluded to during the course of this story. I own nothing. Emphasis on_ nothing_.

Next, I want to say thanks to all of you who reviewed every single chapter. Actually, I change that. I want to thank _all_ of you who reviewed! Y'all's reviews were wonderful and lovely and I thank you for doing that. Y'all broke the KK fanfiction archive record, for crying out loud! That's awesome all on its own!

Though I loved all of the reviews, here are some of my favorites in no particular order, with some of my own comments below in Italics.

**1.** **kingdom-keepers-rule (chapter 3): **words cannot describe how much i LOVE this story. You write like a professional and the idea is one of the best ive read. ever. instant follow for you and your story- you're gonna write great things, i know it ;)

_If only my English teachers could read that! Ha! I would be lying though if I said I hadn't thought about writing a book to actually be published though..._

**2. her-eyes-fiery-pinpricks (chapter 23):** AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD TALK ABOUT THE GORGEOUS CHARBECK OR THE SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT WILBY OR THE OF COURSE IT'S FLAWLESS FAMANDA OR THE FACT THAT YOU JUST RUINED THE MOMENT  
PERFECTALLY  
Let me just say this: I have never been more anxious for an update.  
:D

_I didn't think it was possible to ruin a moment perfectly :P You learn something new every day right? ;) Thanks for all the awesome reviews girl! Every single one makes me smile and/or laugh. I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve with your writing! :)_

**3. Neon Clouds (chapter 21): **You are just completely and truly one of the BEST WRITERS I HAVE EVER READ ON FANFICTION! There is so much emotion in your writing, and it is so beautifully well-written! If you don't become a best-selling author when you grow up, something's totally wrong with our reality! The connection you have with the characters, it's just so amazing, it doesn't sound forced at all but flow flawlessly! Please update!  
And I just have to know, do you have all of these chapters ready or do you write them as you go? Because honestly, if you can write these chapters as quickly as it seems you do, I think there's no stopping you! You're quick and brilliant! It takes me a week to write a chapter half as good as this!

_Me? The best? No way. I refuse to believe that. But I will take your compliments and say a gigantic thank you! :) And to finally answer your question, I did not have this pre-written. I came up with the chapters as I went. But honestly...over the summer I had _nothing_ to do and it rained _way_ too much this summer-so I had a lot of free time. Now that school's back in, it's been harder to do so, but I loved the story so much I couldn't wait to write more. I think I was way more excited to see where it was going than y'all were, if I'm being honest. And your stories are _**by far**_ some of my favorites-ever! Much better than me, that's for sure! Update pretty, pretty_ _please, with cherries on top? :)_

**4. kk7 (chapter 28): **SHE'S ALIVE?! OMIGOSH! Update!? Please! I love how you weaved in all the flashbacks and backstories into the present so it could affect the characters in many ways.

_I'll be honest, I was inspired by the awesomeness that is _Lost_. Watching that on Netflix this summer really helped me write those flashbacks out. They do such a great job and I was inspired by that. _

**5. Willatreetwin (chapter 37): **Finale? I don't think I ever want this to end. I loved this chapter and PHILBY NEEDS TO BREAK THE CURSE! I honestly think after the finale is over you should do a sequel. All good things come to an end, but this is way too good to come to an end!

_I hate to see it end too, honestly. I love writing this story so much. But I will put in some thought for a sequel. But no guarantees... ;)_

**6. KayBear365 (chapter 41): **Woooooooooooooooooooah!  
OHMYWHITMAN! OHMYWHITMAN! OHMYWHITMAN! I don't want this to end! MANDA! FINNY! Was this all a dream or something!? I CANT BELIEVE IT, THEIR ALL DEAD! ALL DEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAD!

_Surprise! It was all a dream! :P Your reviews are all awesome, but this one is one of my favorites. Just the all caps shows how emotional you are about this subject! :P Love it! _

Of course all of the reviews are awesome...those are just some of my memorable ones.

Oh and another disclaimer: I made up the whole Prince Finnegan story that Finn's mom tells him about. That was just to parallel Finn's dream. Again, 100% made up. If there is a story like that out there, I'd love to read it...but I have no clue if there is one now.

Just a quick side note, I put all 42 chapters in a word document and it told me it was 296 pages...WHAT? I didn't realize I had written so much. Dang. That's all I can say about that. Wow. Just wow.

Don't despair, this isn't the end of me on fanfiction. I do have "Whodunnit" to continue and I have a few other ideas for one-shots and possible multi-chapter stories. This is just the beginning!

Have a great day and happy writing/reading!

Love, **vanhoose** :)


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